I've travelled through 464 airports worldwide, and frankly - for most passengers - MAN would be quickly forgotten as a very average experience.
The above is a quote from my latest post ...
It needs fixing, not tribally defending.
Skip's interpretation!!!
Now come on, Skip. You've told us on many occasions that you're an aviation ANALYST. In what world does a professional aviation ANALYST interpret my comment above as "tribally defending" Manchester Airport? Anyway, thanks for giving me the biggest laugh of the week! I've actually been pretty busy lately, so aside from three or four one-liners, my last substantial post on here was No. 1517 in the thread (April 6th) in which I critiqued Charlie Cornish's record in the wake of the departure of Karen Smart. I would be immensely surprised if anyone at MAG interpreted my views there as a "tribal defence" of Manchester Airport either! But don't let the facts get in the way of your narrative.
But I must tackle you on the substance of what you wrote also. Because I am going to defend MAN on one point in particular: you delight in perpetuating the myth (as afew persistent offenders on aviation forums do) that security staff at this airport are hostile towards customers. Remember Skip: these are real people that you're writing about, and some of them read forums like this. In my experience - and as a traveller through MAN it is extensive - the security staff I encounter at this airport have been professional, friendly and helpful on almost every occasion. I don't doubt that there is the occasional bad apple amongst any large work force, but I've clearly been far luckier than you in consistently avoiding interaction with them. If you have a bad experience, report the individual concerned. But don't come on the forums promulgating the impression that security staff at MAN are by default a group of ogres. It is disingenuous and uncalled for.
As for your suggestion that I must be comparing MAN against "3rd world competition" in order to conclude that "MAN would be quickly forgotten as a very average experience" ... words fail! Your credibility as a professional analyst will be in jeopardy of you persist in pushing nonsense like that! I have used airports on every continent bar Antarctica, but I would describe vanishingly few of them as "3rd world" - not a term I like anyway. But I absolutely stand by my assessment that MAN is "very average" - hardly effusive praise by any measure. As for bringing up 'Flyertalk' in the same breath as condemning 'tribal' posting ... give me a break!