At least the whole operation will go from the same terminal, will be a lot less confusing for the passengers. Especially the poor WW Belfast lot who arrive into T3 at the minute and depart from T1. Bless them, they always seem so confused stumbling around T3 throughout the day looking for bmibaby check-in!
I'd like to point out it's also an arse going the other way. I became an expert last year on how to arrive on the 2145 flight from BFS, and make the last direct train to Sheffield just before 2150 I think. Arrival was usually early (about 2135) and I usually requested seat 2C so I could be sliding down the banister rail of the aircraft steps as soon as our Tracey opened the doors, but it still meant an infuriating marathon run... a slalom through the half arsed 'police check' ("Are you the Belfast flight?" "Yep" "Ok, carry on...") and then the most annoying straight run from the furthest reaches of terminal three, which as you know is directly adjacent to the airside hall of terminal one (and which is frustratingly visible through through a big glass wall - oh for a fire hammer).
I guess it's about 300m to baggage reclaim, through arrivals, up the escalators (what? BMI fly to Omaha?) and then back the same distance upstairs, followed by another slalom through dozy charter passengers carrying plates of grease from the caffs, down the escalators in terminal 1 airside and a final charge through the check-in hall, up the escalators... then a final push along some broken travelators across the bridge to the railway station, where as usual the escalator would be in small pieces on the floor or the elevators would just open, bleep, close, bleep and open again. There then followed a short argument with the NR ticket man about the validity of Northern Irish banknotes, and then a tarzan like leap down to the platform through the closing doors of a TransPennine sprinter (which would most likely be delayed at Stockport later...).
Plan your long distance relationships wisely my friends: avoid Friday nights at MAN...
*j*