Very cheap shot re car, and no I didn’t want to say that but as others around her were saying the same thing this morning ,a justified point is it not. That is her point, and indeed her car, but unlike some who post on here, she has the experience of running airports, and business at a somewhat more senior level then noting numbers, and watching planes land and take off.
If she with her knowledge of how airports work, and more importantly make or lose money, can see issues then I would listen to her comments.
She is not impressed with plane spotters and different aircraft, or indeed exotic routes, it’s down to can you make money, as landing and handling those A/C unfortunately no longer pays the bills at provincial airports, and that is what Manchester is, as unfortunately LHR is the UK Global gateway, so you’re landing fees will never cover all your costs.
Therefore you are down to shopping/ parking/ food and drink and how your punters feel about their experience, and hers was not great as she said to me when I arrived. I rarely use T2 as the only carriers I use from there are CX and Singapore so can not say much though, I did note extended lines for toilets last time I went through in passing.
As for Leeds and Liverpool she knows Liverpool very well, and Leeds less so. My own experience of Liverpool, though limited and pre Covid, was fine, and with Leeds my only issues are queuing onto tarmac for immigration ( it was dry thankfully) and the issue with a runway that faces the wrong direction for prevailing winds.
Manchester appears to have spent a lot of money on a badly designed and executed terminal, which seems to be already failing technically in that it has been built cheaply and parts of it are already failing as noted.
You can say yes I am having a go at the design, as that is what I do for a living, and there are better looking sheds in Northamptonshire than the parts grafted into the original T2. It looks poor externally to me, and that is all I can say, and not a great advert for the North of the UK, as though a provincial airport it is the largest one with the biggest global reach outside the SE, so yes a better fist could have been made of it aesthetically. Believe me I do not like LHR and will try and avoid at all costs but MAG should and indeed could better.
Another pertinent question would be when is it going to be finished ? Best guess?
Cheers
Mr Mac