Isn't all this MAN bashing getting a little boring. There are many good points being made but the same things get brought up every other week. Yes, there are many improvements that do need to be made but these are not going to happen overnight. In many cases, the airport has recognised where investment needs to be focused and a short walk around any of the terminals will tell you that this is taking place right now. I agree with Mr A Tis in the respect that the key areas that need tackling are cleanliness and u/s walkways, lifts etc. Cleanliness was of primary importance when Gill was around. He made it his aim that the place was sparkling 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since then the cleaning budget has been reduced year on year and although Initial have assured management that they can still keep standards high with the reduced costs, they can't! This needs sorting. I guess the reason why many of the walkways etc are constantly u/s is because they are old and poorly maintained. They need replacing not repairing. Having had some dealing with this area, I will say that the service provider OTIS who are contracted to fix these are far from reliable. Regarding the tape on the carpets, this is for health and safety. If the carpet bobbles or is uneven, the tape has to be put down to indicate or prevent a trip hazard. It looks ugly but the H&S executives insist that its done. The best thing to do would be to get rid of carpet altogether. They did this in T2 so why they relaid new carpet on B Pier I do not know.
I don't hide the fact and make no apologies for being pro MAN. I work there as a representative for the airport and am very proud to do so. I don't have my head in the clouds and I fully realise that the passenger experience could be better. However, it is not as bad as a lot of people are making out. Maybe you have higher standards than me, maybe you're just fussy travellers. I agree that it is nowhere near the same class as some of the European and Far East hubs but many of these airports are a lot busier and more important than Manchester is. A lot of them also benefit from newer terminals whereas MAN has to make do with what its got. Despite the fact that many of you would disagree, I think the way that T1 has adapted and continues to be adapted to meet the increasing passenger numbers and travellers needs is nothing short of remarkable. And when it's all finished next Spring I truly believe it will be something to be proud of. T1 will never be a Dubai or a Singapore, but what it will be is an efficiently functioning terminal which will be a facility to get people on and off aircraft. Nothing more, nothing less. That's all it needs to be.
And just a side note for those of you bigging up LPL. What's so good about this airport? My experiences there have been nothing to write home about, certainly no better than what I've experienced at MAN as a passenger. Liverpool has an advantage over MAN in the respect that it is a newer, more modern terminal which has less passengers passing through it. Yet, I really don't see what the fuss is all about. Can't say I was all that impressed to be honest.