Manchester-2
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,050
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Best place to get picked up at MAN to avoid the pick up tax? Arriving as a passenger with Oman Air
I used to walk to the train station or the garage nearby. Is this still possible? or any other suggestions.
Regards
Pin
I used to walk to the train station or the garage nearby. Is this still possible? or any other suggestions.
Regards
Pin
Got picked a couple of nights ago from T2 by usual local taxi firm. Meeting was in ground level of new T2 multi story car park and driver has a swipe card to let him out. Fare was the standard I usually pay so didn't appear to get charged the fee...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: The foot of Mt. Belzoni.
Posts: 2,001
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
LFC22, splendid observation!
MANFOD, certainly not 1st Year, I believe I can see Mortice and Tenon jointing, which comes later in the syllabus.
What is interesting is how small it is, and also, does its wooden construction point to it being a temporary structure?
MANFOD, certainly not 1st Year, I believe I can see Mortice and Tenon jointing, which comes later in the syllabus.
What is interesting is how small it is, and also, does its wooden construction point to it being a temporary structure?
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Either the back of a sim, or wherever Crewing send me.
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Best place to get picked up at MAN to avoid the pick up tax? Arriving as a passenger with Oman Air
I used to walk to the train station or the garage nearby. Is this still possible? or any other suggestions.
I used to walk to the train station or the garage nearby. Is this still possible? or any other suggestions.
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Hampshire
Age: 76
Posts: 821
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have just experienced the misery of MAN for the first time in a couple of years. For the uninitiated, following the signs off the M56 for Term 3 Departures can lead to temporary insanity and a breakdown for the driver. We were not the only car to find itself in the 'Meet & Greet' area. Eventually the nice man on the intercom (took him 3 minutes to answer!) raised the barrier and gave us good directions on how to get to where we wanted to be. Once inside the Terminal, I looked at the departure board for my flight and it was not there. I asked a young lady who seemed to be hanging around to answer passengers' questions how I could discover where my flight was departing from. "Oh well, it probably won't appear on that. You need to go through Security and to the gates to discover which gate you are boarding at". That was really useful: "How do I find which gate I need?" "Go to the gate to find out!. Smashing!
The security screening was painless in procedure but painfully slow. Two lines of people were queuing to be screened by 2 people who moved the trays back and forth. I asked the cheerful, very helpful bloke who was fronting the operation, cracking jokes, telling people what to do with their Colgate, Kindles etc if the airport was skint. He asked why would I think that and I pointed out the complete screening stations that were sat there idle, all powered up and nobody to screen. I wondered if the airport had spent all its pocket money on a few hundred grand's worth of nice shiny kit but now didn't have the funds to pay the staff to operate it!
Once through the X-Ray thing, I was approached by the manual screener. In my hand, I was clutching a copy of my boarding pass, as it had come from my printer, on a sheet of A4 paper. Pointing to the paper he asked "What's that"? I resisted the temptation to answer "A railway carriage" and instead answered "Paper". "Oh OK".
Then, when once more dressed, I set off to find my gate but my flight was not to be seen. I then noticed an Etihad flight which just happened to be going to the same place at the same time as me (Knock). I watched the board recycle, update etc a few times to see if it would confirm this was a code share flight and the word "Flybe" would soon appear. It never did. So, instead of flying on BE663, I flew EY6066.
On the return flight all was well as we all boarded a bus to take us from the aircraft to the terminal. And then computer said "No" when the bus driver tried to get the doors to open. He waved 2 different ID cards at the card reader. No joy. He spoke to some via the intercom. No joy. He pushed a selection of buttons (presumably an access code) and computer still said no. Eventually, after more words with the intercom the doors opened.
Overall, nice terminal building with handfuls of money spent on the new parking facilities but as an overall experience, I would rate it as "a shed"!
The security screening was painless in procedure but painfully slow. Two lines of people were queuing to be screened by 2 people who moved the trays back and forth. I asked the cheerful, very helpful bloke who was fronting the operation, cracking jokes, telling people what to do with their Colgate, Kindles etc if the airport was skint. He asked why would I think that and I pointed out the complete screening stations that were sat there idle, all powered up and nobody to screen. I wondered if the airport had spent all its pocket money on a few hundred grand's worth of nice shiny kit but now didn't have the funds to pay the staff to operate it!
Once through the X-Ray thing, I was approached by the manual screener. In my hand, I was clutching a copy of my boarding pass, as it had come from my printer, on a sheet of A4 paper. Pointing to the paper he asked "What's that"? I resisted the temptation to answer "A railway carriage" and instead answered "Paper". "Oh OK".
Then, when once more dressed, I set off to find my gate but my flight was not to be seen. I then noticed an Etihad flight which just happened to be going to the same place at the same time as me (Knock). I watched the board recycle, update etc a few times to see if it would confirm this was a code share flight and the word "Flybe" would soon appear. It never did. So, instead of flying on BE663, I flew EY6066.
On the return flight all was well as we all boarded a bus to take us from the aircraft to the terminal. And then computer said "No" when the bus driver tried to get the doors to open. He waved 2 different ID cards at the card reader. No joy. He spoke to some via the intercom. No joy. He pushed a selection of buttons (presumably an access code) and computer still said no. Eventually, after more words with the intercom the doors opened.
Overall, nice terminal building with handfuls of money spent on the new parking facilities but as an overall experience, I would rate it as "a shed"!
Join Date: Dec 1998
Location: .
Posts: 2,993
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
the garage no longer exists, and it's a Ł100 fine to pick up at the rail station.
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Manchester
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you look at the mock-ups, it doesn't really come across as a large luxurious facility. More like a small lounge with a mix of modern/contemporary design.
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Stockport
Age: 84
Posts: 282
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Best place to get picked up at MAN to avoid the pick up tax? Arriving as a passenger with Oman Air
I used to walk to the train station or the garage nearby. Is this still possible? or any other suggestions.
I used to walk to the train station or the garage nearby. Is this still possible? or any other suggestions.
My hot tip: Avoid Manchester!
What a truly awful airport for passengers. Some recent experiences.
A few days ago my partner was flying out on KLM. Her frequent flier status entitles her to 3 bags - and she had shopped to take full advantage of it!. The check-in agent (non KLM, but that dreadful ground service company they use) absolutely refused to believe that she was entitled to the 3rd bag and demanded that she pay 100s of $ for the extra bag. When my partner insisted, and showed her a screen grab from the KLM website, the check-in witch literally stood up and screamed abuse into her face. She was kept for 20 minutes at the checkin desk and abused. The woman's fellow check-in staff were telling her to calm down - but not actually helping. Eventually a KLM supervisor appeared, asked what the problem was, looked at the boarding pass and immediately confirmed her entitlement. Subsequently KLM staff were extremely apologetic and actually seemed to be encouraging her to raise a formal complaint, which she will do.
A few days later, I was told I was not entitled to use the fast track lane through security by a bloke at the entrance who refused to believe that I was entitled to it despite EK checkin staff (unlike KLM, EK use their own staff) reiterating that I was. This can make a huge difference in MAN, so I stuck to my guns, I was quite prepared to go back to the EK desk and ask them to explain to this bloke. Eventually he let me through. Subsequent automatic scanning detects entitlement, so what was the purpose of an ill-informed bloke at the start of the line?
And for some reason, every-time I go through at MAN I am pounced on by security and all my stuff gone through and handled and then they finally say 'I don't know why that was selected for search'. I really don't understand, those very same bags have been screened at dozens of airports in the last few weeks but only MAN consistently wants to hand check my smalls.
What a truly awful airport for passengers. Some recent experiences.
A few days ago my partner was flying out on KLM. Her frequent flier status entitles her to 3 bags - and she had shopped to take full advantage of it!. The check-in agent (non KLM, but that dreadful ground service company they use) absolutely refused to believe that she was entitled to the 3rd bag and demanded that she pay 100s of $ for the extra bag. When my partner insisted, and showed her a screen grab from the KLM website, the check-in witch literally stood up and screamed abuse into her face. She was kept for 20 minutes at the checkin desk and abused. The woman's fellow check-in staff were telling her to calm down - but not actually helping. Eventually a KLM supervisor appeared, asked what the problem was, looked at the boarding pass and immediately confirmed her entitlement. Subsequently KLM staff were extremely apologetic and actually seemed to be encouraging her to raise a formal complaint, which she will do.
A few days later, I was told I was not entitled to use the fast track lane through security by a bloke at the entrance who refused to believe that I was entitled to it despite EK checkin staff (unlike KLM, EK use their own staff) reiterating that I was. This can make a huge difference in MAN, so I stuck to my guns, I was quite prepared to go back to the EK desk and ask them to explain to this bloke. Eventually he let me through. Subsequent automatic scanning detects entitlement, so what was the purpose of an ill-informed bloke at the start of the line?
And for some reason, every-time I go through at MAN I am pounced on by security and all my stuff gone through and handled and then they finally say 'I don't know why that was selected for search'. I really don't understand, those very same bags have been screened at dozens of airports in the last few weeks but only MAN consistently wants to hand check my smalls.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Manchester
Posts: 891
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Double barrel
So you have a few moments with Some staff not all MAG. Seems to me that there is either a lack of training of understanding of procedures from a minority of staff which has tainted your view of MAN.
With an airport the size of MAN with a multitude of contracted companies all doing their own thing its inevitable that there will be misalignment of procedures. Unfortunatley the actions of a few spoil the efforts of many !
I travel through MAN and lots of other airports all over the world extensively throughout year and believe me when I say MAN isnt anywhere near bad, yes a bit shabby and staffed by underpaid cheeky Mancs and scousers, but actually considering the trafic levels inside a huge building site its amazing it runs at all. I have seen far far worse elsewhere.
So rather than avoid MAN its my preferred departure and arrival option in the UK
To the staff at MAN I say “well done” in the trying circumstances and commercial climate you work in.
So you have a few moments with Some staff not all MAG. Seems to me that there is either a lack of training of understanding of procedures from a minority of staff which has tainted your view of MAN.
With an airport the size of MAN with a multitude of contracted companies all doing their own thing its inevitable that there will be misalignment of procedures. Unfortunatley the actions of a few spoil the efforts of many !
I travel through MAN and lots of other airports all over the world extensively throughout year and believe me when I say MAN isnt anywhere near bad, yes a bit shabby and staffed by underpaid cheeky Mancs and scousers, but actually considering the trafic levels inside a huge building site its amazing it runs at all. I have seen far far worse elsewhere.
So rather than avoid MAN its my preferred departure and arrival option in the UK
To the staff at MAN I say “well done” in the trying circumstances and commercial climate you work in.
MAN77. I admire your support for MAN staff. But I must say that I also fly extensively in Europe, USA and Africa, maybe I have been unlucky, but my experience with MAN has been consistently problematic compared with even small chaotic African airports. It does seem strange, the airport itself looks clean and efficient and the infrastructure works well, but the staff seem disastrous. My pilot colleagues who fly out of MAN are constantly complaining about the unhelpful security screening. And why is it only MAN that insists that I lug my soft bags to a separate belt after check-in?
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: EGCC
Age: 74
Posts: 979
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
But, and this is the important part, it was KLM's appointed handling agent that was causing the problem. It seems that the airport gets blamed, and tarred with the same brush, for many things that are outside of its control. Your comments with regards to security are however totally valid as this is wholly staffed by MAG.
Then it is KLM as they employ the handling agent not MAG, perhaps if the airlines paid better money you would get
better handling as those guys are paid peanuts.
As for security I would rather be stopped every time than allowed to walk on/off with a weapon and get through, again wages
are crap so you know the saying about peanuts. I would expect the same security at every airport as if one is lax it won`t take long for
that to be found out by terrorists, perhaps security should be run by a central agency like border control as they are equally as important
better handling as those guys are paid peanuts.
As for security I would rather be stopped every time than allowed to walk on/off with a weapon and get through, again wages
are crap so you know the saying about peanuts. I would expect the same security at every airport as if one is lax it won`t take long for
that to be found out by terrorists, perhaps security should be run by a central agency like border control as they are equally as important
