MANCHESTER - 4
DOH!!
I didn't realise I had to spell it out.
Arrive "The station" 11pm, get bearings, find way to hotel, check in midnight. Check-out 3am to find way back to terminal for 4am check-in, or get a "comfy" airport chair for 4 hours. I thought that was a no brainer.
We are talking convenience & facilities, obviously if you are arriving earlier & checking in later, some of the airport hotel options are good.
All I'm saying is that there should be different options for different situations.
MA seem determined to make travelling from MAN more & more difficult & it now completely revolves around shops rather than a transport terminal.
I didn't realise I had to spell it out.
Arrive "The station" 11pm, get bearings, find way to hotel, check in midnight. Check-out 3am to find way back to terminal for 4am check-in, or get a "comfy" airport chair for 4 hours. I thought that was a no brainer.
We are talking convenience & facilities, obviously if you are arriving earlier & checking in later, some of the airport hotel options are good.
All I'm saying is that there should be different options for different situations.
MA seem determined to make travelling from MAN more & more difficult & it now completely revolves around shops rather than a transport terminal.
Join Date: Jun 2001
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If you aren't able to book well in advance and can't be very flexible - the Travelodge will be £50. Other airport hotels require an Ocean Finance loan. A nap in a comfy chair wins hands down and shouldn't be too much too ask. Sad to hear that Manch' airport only seems to want people to linger in the security queue.
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There are over 80 seats in the T1 arrivals area, as well as around 40 in the LS/MYT check in area and lots more in the T3 arivals area near the information desk there.
You can also use the self service check in to check in for your flight the night before then just drop off bags in the morning. There are check in kiosks at The Station.
You can also use the self service check in to check in for your flight the night before then just drop off bags in the morning. There are check in kiosks at The Station.
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Security queue lines, switching travelators off, obstacle course routes to terminals, lack of adequate seating etc etc these will all contribute to loss of pax unless they are thought through properly & perhaps consult people who work & know the aiport, rather than bean counters who decide these things remotely from the real world.
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Tech Problem
Sooo, I "check in my bags" and get my boarding card. I then go "Airside" and I see a "Sale"...of..Clothing. So I [impulse] buy two pairs of trousers, and two sweatshirts for £30...bargain 
Question, bearing in mind that I have "hand luggage"...How do I get my [B]bargains[B] onto the aeroplane?
watp,iktch
Ok its also for more shops to, but there in the business of making money. I, for one, think its a good idea
Question, bearing in mind that I have "hand luggage"...How do I get my [B]bargains[B] onto the aeroplane?
watp,iktch
Last edited by chiglet; 9th Jan 2007 at 18:41. Reason: speeling
The ONLY reason T1 airside is moving is because the T1 landside shops lost a fortune last year.
If you think queues only appear at peaks, then you obviously don't use T1 very much. Severe queues are likely anytime, the last time I went through-3 of the x ray/search areas were closed-despite long queues, so a bigger area won't help.
The same search criterea are now in use EU wide, I haven't experienced any delays going through Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Barcelona or Salzburg over the last month.
If you think queues only appear at peaks, then you obviously don't use T1 very much. Severe queues are likely anytime, the last time I went through-3 of the x ray/search areas were closed-despite long queues, so a bigger area won't help.
The same search criterea are now in use EU wide, I haven't experienced any delays going through Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Barcelona or Salzburg over the last month.
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Security has been run on a thread string for years. It's an attitude of "Bugger the passengers; we only see most of them once a year."
MAN is a dump. I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought I would ever say that, but as someone who was on the North of England Regional Consortium and wrote regularly in support of MAN (especially in the 80's when the Stansted enquiry was ongoing), I hate to say, Manchester does not deserve either respect or patronage from any new operator until they get back to basics and remember their primary function and respect their income stream.
Stoney
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The main reason why security queues are often so long is because passengers are still trying to take prohibited items in their handluggage. This is despite them being told at checkin, at the security prep point and on massive bright green posters dotted around the terminals what they can and cannot take. Maybe security is being run on a shoestring and maybe improvements can be made but queues are still forming even when all the x-rays and archways are being used. The airport has to follow the Dft regulations, as do all UK airports, and if passengers are trying to take items through that they shouldn't, then of course queues will build up. These regulations are not as strict in Europe so comparing the queues at MAN to places such as Hamburg and Barcelona isn't really a fair comparison.
With regards to the issues about overnight sleeping on chairs then may I remind you that this is an 'Airport' not a hotel. It's function is not to put people up for the night and it is under no obligation to do so. As another poster commented, these facilities are not so widely used in T2/3 and it doesn't cause a problem.
And Mr A Tis, i'm afraid I have to disagree with your comment about people not using MAN because the travellators don't work or the security queues are too long. People generally will favour price and locality to where they live when choosing a departure airport. If a family can save several hundred pounds on a flight/holiday by flying from MAN as opposed to another airport then they're not going to pay the extra to fly from elsewhere just because there are no chairs for them to sleep on at night or whatever!
With regards to the issues about overnight sleeping on chairs then may I remind you that this is an 'Airport' not a hotel. It's function is not to put people up for the night and it is under no obligation to do so. As another poster commented, these facilities are not so widely used in T2/3 and it doesn't cause a problem.
And Mr A Tis, i'm afraid I have to disagree with your comment about people not using MAN because the travellators don't work or the security queues are too long. People generally will favour price and locality to where they live when choosing a departure airport. If a family can save several hundred pounds on a flight/holiday by flying from MAN as opposed to another airport then they're not going to pay the extra to fly from elsewhere just because there are no chairs for them to sleep on at night or whatever!
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The main reason why security queues are often so long is because passengers are still trying to take prohibited items in their handluggage. This is despite them being told at checkin, at the security prep point and on massive bright green posters dotted around the terminals what they can and cannot take.
Fact is, security lines have been appalling for at least 6 years, especially during the summer schedules. You can bury your head in the sand and blame all the circumstances you can think of, but the fact remains that MAN has a bad reputation amongst frequent and business fliers for, amongst MANY other things, totally unacceptable security lines.
Stoney
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StoneyBridge Radar, i am not saying this is the sole reason for the queues or in any way using it as an excuse. I do feel extremely sorry for travellers when faced with an hour long queue and believe that it's unacceptable especially at this time of year. However, having worked at the airport for 3 years now I can safely say that in that time at least, I have not seen queues for security anywhere near as bad as they have been over the past 6 months. And the main reason for that is these restrictions. Ok ok, it may not be the sole reason. Under staffing, bad management etc could well play its part. I'm not an expert on security and have no idea of the flows per hour at which passengers should be processed, how many machines should be used in proportion to the number of pax going through, the average waiting time compared to other UK airports etc etc. Perhaps there are people on here that have this knowledge, perhaps there are people that fly more frequently than I do, perhaps there are people on here that are in a much better position to comment and critisise then I am. That's fair enough. But from my own experience of working within the airport, I have to say that these DFT restrictions seem to be the main cause of the problems at the moment. And that is not the airport's fault.
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Then we must agree to disagree, as Terminal 1 and 2 departing pax have long been subject to doing a long and winding Can-Can around the landside shopping areas in the summer for many years, with the occassional zig-zag around the buckets in Terminal 1 placed strategically to collect the unique water feature called "leaking roof."
The end winners, bizarrely, are BA and BD. Terminal 3 has the shortest queues, and many business travellers are actually migrating back to connect out of LGW and LHR; now who would have ever thought that would happen to our proud "airport for the regions"???
Stoney
The end winners, bizarrely, are BA and BD. Terminal 3 has the shortest queues, and many business travellers are actually migrating back to connect out of LGW and LHR; now who would have ever thought that would happen to our proud "airport for the regions"???
Stoney
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Manch!!!!
Have to agree with Stoney on this one!!!!
The place is a HOLE either land side or airside, travelators out of use during the day is a regular thing!!!
Land at night and end up on a remote stand and wait for eternity for buses due to there being only 2 available at times!!!!!!
The place is a HOLE either land side or airside, travelators out of use during the day is a regular thing!!!
Land at night and end up on a remote stand and wait for eternity for buses due to there being only 2 available at times!!!!!!
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So what you're saying as that many business travellers would rather make an additional stop in London, as opposed to flying direct and waiting in a 30 minute security queue? Hmm, well more fool them! LHR is a nightmare and why anyone would choose to travel through there over MAN given the choice is beyond me. And surely other UK airports experience the same queues that MAN does at peak times? I haven't had the experience of travelling through that many airports in this country so my knowledge is limited but you're not telling me that you can just breeze through LGW security on a busy Saturday morning in August surely?
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Seems to be a love it or hate it sort of airport. I suspect that those sticking up for it like it because it's their local airport and they're used to it. Most criticsms are based on experience and my fairly consistent experience is that it's not much fun, that T3 is the least of the evils, T1 is third world and the taxiways to 24R are like that old fairground game with the hoop over a squigly wire connected to a buzzer.
Don't know if I'd go to LHR to avoid it though.
ATC has always been good I must say just to add some balance.
Don't know if I'd go to LHR to avoid it though.
ATC has always been good I must say just to add some balance.
I think you find alot more people are using Liverpool.
I know plenty who do this now, people who live on top of MAN. I too have now booked flights from Liverpool, I live 6 miles from MAN & have worked there for over 25 years.
Security regs are now the same EU wide. Plastic clear bags, single bags etc.I find the German search experience far more extensive than given at MAN, but without the queues. So you can compare MAN with HAM,CGN,BCN,SZG etc & there is no comparison-but to blame the delays on the passengers is frankly laughable.
I know plenty who do this now, people who live on top of MAN. I too have now booked flights from Liverpool, I live 6 miles from MAN & have worked there for over 25 years.
Security regs are now the same EU wide. Plastic clear bags, single bags etc.I find the German search experience far more extensive than given at MAN, but without the queues. So you can compare MAN with HAM,CGN,BCN,SZG etc & there is no comparison-but to blame the delays on the passengers is frankly laughable.
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Well, when I travelled through Arrecife a week before Christmas, there was no sign of these restrictions being in place. So either it's come into force in Europe since then or it only affects major airports. Anyway, just to clarify, I wasn't putting blame on the passengers, I was putting blame on the restrictions and the confusion they have caused since the rules changed. There are that many grey areas that even the security staff are unclear on certain rules and if they don't know then the passengers certainly don't stand a chance. And despite what anyone says, I believe this is the major cause of the queuing right now. If you have to stop every single passenger at the security prep area to give them a plastic bag, have to perform extra screening of bags because the passengers have left liquids in there that they didn't know were included in the restrictions & have to send people back to checkin because they don't want to lose their expensive 125ml perfume, then of course you're going to get queuing. And this is mainly down to unclear regulations, not poor airport security. And if you still don't agree with what i'm saying, go and stand by the security preperation point in any of the terminals for several hours. And when you see the amount of people still bringing through restricted items, the amount of people still unclear as to what they can and cannot take through and the delays this is causing, maybe you'll change your minds.
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The security staff shouldn't be unclear on the regulations - it's their job. The check-in staff do, from my experience, question pax about liquids and tell them clearly what they can take.
I recently spent some time in the T1 queue where pax having a briefcase plus a newspaper in a carrier bag were being harangued by security for having two bags and being told that it wasn't allowed. Result - queue delays due pointless repacking of bags.
Hardly a common sense approach designed to speed people through (or even enhance security).
I'm afraid that I just avoid the place as much as I can.
I recently spent some time in the T1 queue where pax having a briefcase plus a newspaper in a carrier bag were being harangued by security for having two bags and being told that it wasn't allowed. Result - queue delays due pointless repacking of bags.
Hardly a common sense approach designed to speed people through (or even enhance security).
I'm afraid that I just avoid the place as much as I can.
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But are you saying that there a Major queues, ie up to the checkin area, throughtout the day? I think not... Hence my general post about 'Peak times' ie one being 7-9 in the morning.
Its right that the security areas in T1 and T2 have never really been big enough, and last year made it far worse, hopefully when T1 has a full quota of security staff in, i think the queue's will be either faster or they will be less frequent in 07. Although im not sure if the new part of T1 Security is being used as yet beacause Staff have there own channel.