MANCHESTER - 5
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: England
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MAN has had "Terminal under redevelopment" signs for as long as I can remember, going right back to Patio Court (when it became Ground Level Check In in 1990) or before. That's an old tactic but it's no excuse.
The one thing MA is good at is its PR - sucking up to all political parties and getting Geoff's big fingers in many pies. One thing it's not good at is running a day to day operation, at least at a strategic level. Many of the operational managers are quite good but are hampered by the fools above.
Remember Iain Burns, who resigned from BA over the price rigging affair a couple of years ago? Where did he learn his craft? Why, MAPLC....
As I've said before, the solution to disinterested baggage etc. workers is to pay them a reasonable wage, then perhaps they'll see it as a career to be proud of rather than a fill-in till something better comes along.
The one thing MA is good at is its PR - sucking up to all political parties and getting Geoff's big fingers in many pies. One thing it's not good at is running a day to day operation, at least at a strategic level. Many of the operational managers are quite good but are hampered by the fools above.
Remember Iain Burns, who resigned from BA over the price rigging affair a couple of years ago? Where did he learn his craft? Why, MAPLC....
As I've said before, the solution to disinterested baggage etc. workers is to pay them a reasonable wage, then perhaps they'll see it as a career to be proud of rather than a fill-in till something better comes along.
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Manchester, UK
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Quote "The one thing MA is good at is its PR - sucking up to all political parties and getting Geoff's big fingers in many pies. One thing it's not good at is running a day to day operation, at least at a strategic level. Many of the operational managers are quite good but are hampered by the fools above."
As a fully paid up Mancunian (Council Tax) it's quite depressing to read endless complaints regarding MAPLC inability to run an efficient, customer focused business. However, MAPLC is not a genuine PLC, in that shares can not be purchased on the stock market, and is essentially a council owned operation. My experience with any business that has roots in government ownership, be that local or national, is that politics remain the first priority with regards to all decision making - I experienced numerous unpleasant occurrences of business decisions being overturned by Counsellors demands even though the company was a genuine PLC for over 15 yrs.
Back to the 'fully paid up' comment. Looking at MAPLC accounts, my council (Tameside) owns 5% and receives dividends to this amount. In 2007 that was approx 1.25m and presumably keeps my council tax a little lower than it should be. However, it is clear that MAPLC needs to throw off the council shackles and move out of political circles.
So MAPLC strategy should be to avoid looking at other airport purchases and actually purchase themselves!
One last thought. The majority owners of MAPLC struggled to organise a day out for 50,000 Rangers fans in Piccadilly Gardens so what chance of running a major UK airport taking 22mill pax per annum?
As a fully paid up Mancunian (Council Tax) it's quite depressing to read endless complaints regarding MAPLC inability to run an efficient, customer focused business. However, MAPLC is not a genuine PLC, in that shares can not be purchased on the stock market, and is essentially a council owned operation. My experience with any business that has roots in government ownership, be that local or national, is that politics remain the first priority with regards to all decision making - I experienced numerous unpleasant occurrences of business decisions being overturned by Counsellors demands even though the company was a genuine PLC for over 15 yrs.
Back to the 'fully paid up' comment. Looking at MAPLC accounts, my council (Tameside) owns 5% and receives dividends to this amount. In 2007 that was approx 1.25m and presumably keeps my council tax a little lower than it should be. However, it is clear that MAPLC needs to throw off the council shackles and move out of political circles.
So MAPLC strategy should be to avoid looking at other airport purchases and actually purchase themselves!
One last thought. The majority owners of MAPLC struggled to organise a day out for 50,000 Rangers fans in Piccadilly Gardens so what chance of running a major UK airport taking 22mill pax per annum?
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Liverpool
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I didn't just rabbit on about Liverpool, I also mentioned Far East airports which were absolutely magnificent and handle just as many if not more passengers than Manchester Airport each day/week/month year!
Actually, Terminal 1 probably handles about the same amount of passengers as Liverpool Airport does as a whole.
Actually, Terminal 1 probably handles about the same amount of passengers as Liverpool Airport does as a whole.
Last edited by Ametyst1; 25th Jun 2008 at 11:59.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: England
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GLENO
Do you have a ###### for toilets everytime you visit an airport?
I myself do not linger in them atall enough to compare them.
Or are the toilets really dirty after you have visited them !!
MM
Do you have a ###### for toilets everytime you visit an airport?
I myself do not linger in them atall enough to compare them.
Or are the toilets really dirty after you have visited them !!
MM
Join Date: Apr 2004
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I travel all over the world and there are some fine examples in the Far East, several like HKG, KUL have been built from new. (N.B. I don't find the hordes of people lying on the floor in the termainl at Dubai particularly attractive).
Manchester isnt the best at present but it is by far away from being the worst.
I am not sure of the figues but I am sure T1 handles more than Liverpool.
As for the airport loosing routes, it's hardly an avalance and many airports are loosing routes or frequencies as airlines cut back because of oil costs.
In an ideal world they would knock T1 down and start again, but that isnt going to happen is it.
Persobally I fly through Manchester or Leeds quite a lot and have no issues with either, if anything the Terminal at leeds needs attanetion more than Manchester.
Manchester isnt the best at present but it is by far away from being the worst.
I am not sure of the figues but I am sure T1 handles more than Liverpool.
As for the airport loosing routes, it's hardly an avalance and many airports are loosing routes or frequencies as airlines cut back because of oil costs.
In an ideal world they would knock T1 down and start again, but that isnt going to happen is it.
Persobally I fly through Manchester or Leeds quite a lot and have no issues with either, if anything the Terminal at leeds needs attanetion more than Manchester.
Agreed there are epic revamps going on at the moment in all the terminals splashing a fair amount of money about.
What would improve the passenger experience both immediately & relatively cheaply, would be the small things.
Why is it so many escalators, walkways & lifts do not work? Why have there been queues of over 100 on the ground floor T1 trying to get to check in on level 5?
Why was a lift in T2 multi storey u/s for six months?
Why was it one day all 3 lifts at the rail station were u/s ?
Why are the toilets often dirty & smelly.
These are simple easy things to fix that have a big impact on the customer.
... and yes, I agree, stop fannying about with other airports & fix this one.
What would improve the passenger experience both immediately & relatively cheaply, would be the small things.
Why is it so many escalators, walkways & lifts do not work? Why have there been queues of over 100 on the ground floor T1 trying to get to check in on level 5?
Why was a lift in T2 multi storey u/s for six months?
Why was it one day all 3 lifts at the rail station were u/s ?
Why are the toilets often dirty & smelly.
These are simple easy things to fix that have a big impact on the customer.
... and yes, I agree, stop fannying about with other airports & fix this one.
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: MANCHESTER
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Very Good Mickeyman!!
It's not that Ive a fettish for toilets often when I travel I often have the Four year old daughter in tow with me!! not a lot to ask for Toliet roll, Hand dryers/ Towels to be working and the floor clear of urine......can't exactly take her in the ladies can I ?....Don't know what they are like ...perhaps you can enlighten us all Mickeyman??
.......Manchester at the moment is a joke........Got the pleasure of flying from T3 next friday morning and the back into T2 on Sunday evening......will report back on the toilets facilities just for you Mickeyman....
It's not that Ive a fettish for toilets often when I travel I often have the Four year old daughter in tow with me!! not a lot to ask for Toliet roll, Hand dryers/ Towels to be working and the floor clear of urine......can't exactly take her in the ladies can I ?....Don't know what they are like ...perhaps you can enlighten us all Mickeyman??
.......Manchester at the moment is a joke........Got the pleasure of flying from T3 next friday morning and the back into T2 on Sunday evening......will report back on the toilets facilities just for you Mickeyman....
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Manchester
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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.
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.
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Fly ZB, yes the place is a dump.....at the moment....it has has been for ages......Could be better?....Should be better!!!....time to take a reality check.......about time they thought about ploughing all the money into one airport and not buying into others!....have a word in their ear will you?
Solution is simple....big extension to T3 and T2 Knock down T1 and blow up the car park which is years old!, start again with a clean piece of paper!! .........oh if it were that easy!!
When is the extension to T3 due to start with the extended apron space and are there any plans to re vamp/demolish pier B before next spring????
Solution is simple....big extension to T3 and T2 Knock down T1 and blow up the car park which is years old!, start again with a clean piece of paper!! .........oh if it were that easy!!
When is the extension to T3 due to start with the extended apron space and are there any plans to re vamp/demolish pier B before next spring????
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Correct me if I am wrong but the only extension to T3 which I think is going ahead at the moment is the addition of three remote stands, nothing more.
Further is this in fact an extension considering the loss of two stands on T3 56 and 57 and the three south Bay stands and 12 and 14 in T1. I think 12 and 14 or one or both of them may be reinstated in due course but the position isn't clear to me.
The larger extension to T3 has not so I understand it yet been finalised or given the go ahead.
Viscount
Further is this in fact an extension considering the loss of two stands on T3 56 and 57 and the three south Bay stands and 12 and 14 in T1. I think 12 and 14 or one or both of them may be reinstated in due course but the position isn't clear to me.
The larger extension to T3 has not so I understand it yet been finalised or given the go ahead.
Viscount
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Manchester
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That is correct. The proposed extension to T3 in terms of the actual terminal building still needs board approval and will take up to 5 years to be completed fully. Similarly the plans for both Piers in T1 will be on the same time scale. There is no way that the Piers will be completed anytime before that because of the implications of taking out so many stands at once. There is an awful lot of work still to do both on the airfield and within the terminals. Gleno, if the option to bulldoze T1 was available then I'm sure they'd go for it. The checkin hall and car park are in serious need of updating but with all the airside work that's going on right now and scheduled for the future, these projects will be a long way off. Despite all the building work and different levels, nooks and crannies that are associated with T1, it still remains the most popular terminal amongst travellers according to the airport's own customer service surveys. T2 fairs the worse. Anyway here is a rough outline of the proposed schedule of events due to take place over the coming years. These are all terminal based redevelopments, I have no information regarding the apron but I'm sure someone will.
New T2 OBC: Opens July 16th.
T2 airside redevelopment: Due for completion Spring 2009.
T1 airside redevelopment: Due for completion Spring 2009.
New T3 OBC: Fully complete by September 2008.
T3 apron extension: Due for completion Winter 2008/09.
T2 pier extension up to Gate 219: Work due to commence Summer 2009.
T3 terminal extension: Awaiting board approval. Due to be complete by 2013.
T1 pier redevelopments: Awaiting board approval. Time scale 3-5 years.
New T2 OBC: Opens July 16th.
T2 airside redevelopment: Due for completion Spring 2009.
T1 airside redevelopment: Due for completion Spring 2009.
New T3 OBC: Fully complete by September 2008.
T3 apron extension: Due for completion Winter 2008/09.
T2 pier extension up to Gate 219: Work due to commence Summer 2009.
T3 terminal extension: Awaiting board approval. Due to be complete by 2013.
T1 pier redevelopments: Awaiting board approval. Time scale 3-5 years.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Manchester
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This follows on nicely from the previous few post regarding cleaning or lack of.
Manchester Airport strike threat : Manchester Airport News Stories
Manchester Airport strike threat : Manchester Airport News Stories
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: lancaster
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TSR2-
Strid
Bmibaby flight at 07.15 to Palma on Tuesdays should be an Airbus A319.
Hmm, just checked bmibaby's site is it says they only have B737 - 300 x 15 and 4x 500 series. Flight Number is WW3545, any more suggestions?
Strid
Bmibaby flight at 07.15 to Palma on Tuesdays should be an Airbus A319.
Hmm, just checked bmibaby's site is it says they only have B737 - 300 x 15 and 4x 500 series. Flight Number is WW3545, any more suggestions?
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Just came back from BOD having flown both ways on the BMI MAinline A/c.
4 hours delay on the way out and 1 hour coming back, BMI crew not happy and didn't restrain themselves from having a go about Baby......
4 hours delay on the way out and 1 hour coming back, BMI crew not happy and didn't restrain themselves from having a go about Baby......