Thanks for the info spanishflea I have decided to pay a little extra and use BMI instead of AA to get to the final destination.

Not entirely sure why the plans are kept secret. There's no reason why they shouldn't be shown to staff. After all, they are pretty impressive and I think quite a few people would express an interest in what is being proposed. I was shown them in a staff meeting a few weeks back but other than that, nothing has been mentioned.

I totally agree about the lack of staff. We have the same problems in T2 most days and if the new terminal designs are to work efficiently, then they need to have decent staffing levels in place. That said, the redevelopments will see massive visual improvements to T1 and T2. New seating, flooring etc is all part of the plans and I believe that in itself is a major step forward.

Seating and flooring is all very well, but MAN is still suffering from the old problem that the retailers have to pay so much in concession fees to the airport that there's no money left to pay decent enough wages to recruit or retain enough staff for the season. Ditto the handling agents who compete downwards on price, again not leaving enough for wages.

Papering over the cosmetic cracks is all very well, but the financials are fundamentally wrong to deliver any decent sort of customer service. MAPLC still hasn't learnt, it seems.

Observed early Friday morning passing through T1.

Jet2 unable to open check in as security person required to man outsized baggage x-ray, had not turned up on time. This stopped jet2 opening check in for security reasons. Missing security bod had to be physically brought from staff room by Menzies duty manager, to enable check in to open 30 minutes late.

Only one x-ray machine and arch operating for passengers in use at security scan, with yet a new interpretation of delaying passengers and causing queues.

If you set the machine of passing through the arch, you had to remove your belt and shoes, before walking back through the arch, then walk through again and in 99% of cases, set the alarm off again before they did the normal body search with a hand held machine.

Queues were starting to grow and it was only 04.10 hours.

Really don't understand the issue with under staffing at security. They've just taken on over 100 new staff for the summer so surely there can't be a problem???

Not that it seems to make much difference. All 8 x-rays were open and fully functioning in Terminal 2 on Sunday morning and yet the queue was still back to the second escalator on the skylink for over an hour.

I think that, for whatever reason, until the new security search areas open (and hopefully with enough staff to man them), the situation won't be resolved.

I have observed these long Qs recently and I am still amazed at the number of people who have still not grasped the fluids rule, pre-screening teams are holding up lines of punters who have no fluids at all.

Says it all, really....
Went through T1 a couple of days ago. Big box....hiding what??? But A nice sign though......
Manchester Airport RETAIL and security developement....
bb

The box in the middle of the concourse will be the temporary bureau de change, replacing the one on the ramp while the security redevelopment work is carried out.

The Arch's have changed at manchester, before the security staff did random serches on passenger's, this has now changed to the arch picking random passenger's this is also working on staff lanes.

The random's look to be 1 in 3, but if it doesn't beep for the next 3 pax then it will beep for aleast the next 2.

So they have made T2 and T1 areas bigger to get rid of a problem, and some big wig has messed it all up.

Secuirty staff know when peak times are, the arch doesn't. :ugh:

Freighters coming on heavy. MAN offers more.
 

Whilst the passenger traffic figures don't make great reading right now at MAN, demand for freighter service is quietly stacking up. Great Wall Airlines now have 4x weekly B747F to Shanghai -their only service into the UK, FedEx have been talking to the airport and filed slots for 4x weekly MD11F to Memphis, Jett 8 have filed for 2x weekly B747F to Shanghai, and Air China are still in the picture.

Runway 05R-23L is to be upgraded to CAT III (05R) and CAT I (23L) by next Spring. MAN will be the only airport in the UK after Heathrow to offer 2 all-weather runways. That is a big selling point not lost on carriers like FedEx where regularity of service is critical.

but they are bringing very little in and taking even less out! Not sure it can be sustained at such low levels of freight. Even CX loads are down.:eek:

Freight loads are seasonally driven. Summer is not a heavy time for cargo bookings from Asia. Once the nights start drawing in then they pick up again.

Great Wall is a new entrant and won't yet have a full client list. Rarely does a carrier make money in their first months of a new service, freight or self loading cargo. New accounts or changed freight schedules have to happen first to put pallets or tins on the plane.

Great Wall will probably begin to gain momentum as previously said give them some time to build up a client base. They have entered a competetive market however whilst their base rate is low their surcharges arent as competetive as some Middle East carriers but time will tell.

Cat1 ILS on 23L
 

Following on from Roverman's post about the introduction of ILS on Runway 2, I was interesting to hear from a friend that the current ILS on 06R is actually the old system from Heathrow that was used on their runway 23.

On the assumption that Manchester will move the aeriels from (what will be) 05R and reuse it on 23L then it seems like an amazing co-indicence that it will be reinstated on it's original alignment.

By the way, the only question raised was whether or not there are lighting pots already in existance for CAT111 lighting on 05R, in which case it is a relatively simple job to do the wiring. If this is not the case, then it is debatable whether the job could be finished by next spring (even a late one).

Scottie Dog

Forgot to post this the other night...... but did many of you see the Top Gear team racing two cars down runway two the other night?

It was in the MEN on Thursday with some pictures.

Should be good to watch:ok:

Ils 06r (05r)
 

Scottie Dog,

Your friend is misinformed about the present 06R ILS. Although we were offered the old Heathrow 23 ILS by NATS we didn't in fact take up that offer because that old Thomson system required a lot of money spending on it to refurb. In the end what we bought for 06R was a brand new Navia 7000 system configured for CAT I. You are right in as much as it will be re-used for 23L and a new CAT III Navia installed on 05R. Frequency also will change from 111.55 to 108.9 MHz. Lighting ducts are in the ground already for new lamps to be cored down onto them.

Try Spectators balcony for that John11
But in general it is busy in evening even though it is a bank holiday as most of the business flights tend to operate on the late flights

Ian

Take a look at the Stansted thread. Looks like MAN has missed out on Air Asia, for now.

Regards

Mike

Air China Cargo
 

Not seen this officially announced by the airline, but I understand Air China plan to commence a :)PVG-MAN cargo service on a 3 times weekly basis with effect from 1st September.

That will be an interesting challange to Great Wall??

Scottie Dog

Wish it was Air China offering a pax service!:sad: Anyway...guessing a 744?