If there were flight greeters turning up way too early then that is a problem with a specific group, and they should have been targeted, not everyone.
The issue with the parking charges is not just the principle or the £1.80. It is the hassle of having to drive into a car park, then queue up to pay, then queue up to leave. Last time I did it, neither the local payment machine or the exit barrier were even working.
The public transport from MAN actually isn't that good, unless you happen to live along the south Manchester rail corridor. I live in North Manchester and last time I used it it took over 2.5 hours to get home, instead of 25 minutes by car - that's why people use them...
As for the pick up being a privilege, sorry just laughed my head off there. It is a basic function of an airport, imaging going to Sainsbury's and they charged you to park, 'because it's busy', would you go again? On the one hand I go to meetings at MAPLC where they moan about no revenue, low expansion of passengers, and then some of the same people act like the airport is doing the flying public a favour.
Trust me, MAN needs the people of the region more than they need it.