Jet2 state "Our airport check-in desks and our ‘Bag Drop’ facility open at least two hours before the scheduled departure time."
So that says to me they will be open at two hours before deaprture, if they are open earlier then hey ho your lucky.
At LBA Jet2 use LDCS for check in and sometimes the PNL will not drop into the system until 2 hours before departure, and then it still takes a few minutes before the flights is opened as wheelchairs/infants are allocated their seats manually by the check in supervisor. I assume the same situation happens at MAN. It is often out of the check in agents control as to when they can actually open check in, for example at LBA the baggage handlers in Hall B don't start until 5am, and most of the check in staff don't start until 5am (first flight leaving at 7am) so if we can check the passengers in who get there early we will, but if we have no baggage or PNL on the system we will sit there until 5am as we are not physically able to check passengers in. If we have more than 5 flights checking-in at any one time any early passengers for later flights, we tell to go get a coffee and come back 2 hours before.
I really don't understand peoples logic in getting to the airport before 2 hours, with so many people pre-allocating their seats its not like you have first dip in getting 'good' seats, as the people who have been clever have booked their seats in advance and turn up an hour before departure missing the usual queue of over keen passengers, and the airport experience is much better for them. The reason why the queue at MAN was big is because people got there way before they needed to, then grumble that they have been waiting.
At the end of the day the check-in at MAN opened around 2 hours before departure, Mr Meeson (as I, and many others have experienced in real life) can be a colourful character and he doesn't always understand the situation and raises his voice before getting all the facts. He is though extremely passionate about making sure his passengers get a high level of service, after all thats is what arguably has made his business such a successs. Maybe enough has been said about this (in the big scheme of things) non event, time to move on?
If people don't want to queue then maybe walk instead of flying?! The airport environment is based around queues, im sure those passengers had a wait twice as long to get through security. Get over it! If you don't like the way it is done, fly with Ryanair, then come onto pprune and complain that it was a mad scramble and you couldn't all sit together. Bit of a vicious circle isn't it.