Getting better?
I'm a Manc and been critical of the airport at times e.g. slow baggage delivery in T1 taking half as long as the inbound flight, but when we flew in from Switzerland after Xmas and left on New Years Day and everything went smoothly.
Quick immigration, friendly check-in and security staff.
No drama, no hassle.
However, IMO, the test of a good airport comes at peak times e.g. getting the simple things right like having all security lanes open.