The UK’s biggest regional airport is getting a whole new look. Felicity Cousins tours Manchester’s revamped Terminal 1
Manchester airport serves 220 worldwide destinations and more than 22 million passengers a year. It is the UK’s fourth-busiest airport, after Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, and is the only airport outside London with two runways, with the potential for further expansion.
The airport has just completed a £50 million renovation of its 1960s Terminal 1 and has expanded security at Terminal 2 (including the use of body scanners). It plans to invest £1 billion in redeveloping all three terminals by 2017.
Andrew Harrison, its commercial director, says: “We see Manchester airport as serving the needs of the north-west, specifically for the long-haul destinations.”
Etihad announced last month it would be replacing its A330-200 aircraft at Manchester with a B777-300 in June. A two-class service will still be offered but the aircraft change will result in an extra 2,100 seats per week. Harrison adds: “Manchester is the fastest-growing city in the UK – it’s got developments such as Media City and half of the BBC is moving up here, so it’s critical to make sure we have direct routes.” The airport is also close to offices for BA, Oracle, Cussons International, Umbro International and Siemens.
Manchester has been pegged as a possible A380 airport. Emirates has just opened a lounge in Terminal 1 and there have been rumours that it will be introducing the superjumbo, but an Emirates spokesperson told Business Traveller: “We have eight A380s serving Toronto, London Heathrow, Paris, Seoul, Bangkok, Sydney, Auckland and Jeddah. Manchester is one of many other A380 destinations we are looking at, but there are no immediate plans for an announcement.”
Harrison adds: “We have the capability to handle the A380 from Terminal 2 [Emirates is based at T1] and there is speculation as Emirates’ routes from Manchester are very successful. I think the A380 will come at some stage, but we would have to make some changes to the airport [to accommodate it].”
Whatever the decision, the airport is certainly forward-thinking and adaptable. It is prominent on networking site twitter.com, and “tweeted” live flight information during the snowy chaos of December and January. It was the first to trial the Rapiscan X-ray machines, which, after the attempted Christmas Day bomb attack on a Delta/Northwest flight to Detroit, will be introduced at other UK airports. Manchester began trials of the body scanners last autumn and started using them last month.
Another inaugural for Manchester will be the world’s first champagne bar in a converted airport control tower. It will be airside at T1 with 360-degree views of the runways. It is still at the planning stage but will be developed by Milligan, the firm behind the revamp of the terminals as well as Liverpool city centre’s Metquarter.
To help with the redesign of T1, the airport hired consultancy firm Human Engineering to survey 1,000 passengers a month on which parts of air travel were the most stressful. Harrison explains: “We looked at what made them stressed, excited and bored, and converted the results into a ‘stress graph’. We found that people were stressed in the car park and then again at check-in and during landside shopping. Security was the biggest stress point, but once passengers had reached the departure lounge they started to relax.”
With this in mind, Terminal 1 was redesigned to make things as quick and easy as possible. Sarah Barrett, head of customer experience for Manchester Airports Group, says: “For business travellers it is all about speed, so that is what we have geared up to do. We also offer new services such as valet parking [see panel, page 34].” So what else is new at the airport?
Check-in
Harrison says: “We took down a lot of the signs to reduce visual clutter and are using digital media instead. We have about 50 self check-in desks across the three terminals but if you have a bag you still need to drop it off, so we are trying to find a way to make this work more effectively. We want to make check-in more mobile, but this depends on the different technology available – the challenge is often that different airlines use different systems.”
Security
There are no longer any landside shops at Terminals 1 and 2 as the idea is to get passengers airside as quickly as possible – this, of course, means getting travellers through security efficiently. Some £25 million has been spent on security since August last year.
Harrison says: “We made sure there was extra space [in the new security area] to prepare for the future. There’s more room for taking off shoes and we have built-in Bluetooth on the security machines.” The airport found that 30 per cent of travellers have their Bluetooth on – even if this is unintentional – so they can be tracked and timed through the security process.
Harrison says: “Our biggest issue [with security] used to be queuing but then the Civil Aviation Authority said we had to get 98 per cent of passengers through in under eight minutes. Our next challenge is how intrusive the security process is – we want to change this.”
Body scanners
Manchester has in many ways been ahead of the game in terms of security measures. It started trialling Rapiscan X-ray body scanners last year in Terminal 2.
The scanner looks like two blue fridges standing back-to-back with a walkway in between. The passenger stands in the gap and two X-ray images are taken that penetrate to a depth of 10mm. This takes seven seconds and the ghost-like image is transmitted to an officer in a separate room (the passenger remains anonymous throughout the process).
The analysis of the image takes about 15 seconds, and if any items are deemed suspicious – the X-ray picks up everything from keys to chewing gum – the passenger will be taken through further security measures, such as a full body search.
Not all travellers will have to go through the machine – passengers will be selected randomly as they pass through security. Harrison says: “Regular travellers will manage this well. If people have emptied all their belongings into the trays and taken off their belts, then it is a quick process.”
Departure lounge
The survey found that 50 per cent of people wanted to shop at the airport. Harrison says: “Some business travellers need that hour to shop as it is the only time they might get to buy a present for a loved one or something they need.”
About £15 million has been spent on retail outlets at Terminal 1 and the design means that all passengers are led through Biza (a new world duty-free shop) to get to the gates. The whole space is bright, white and modern. Phil Shilson, store manager of Biza, says: “It is set out in different zones so it is easy to navigate and doesn’t feel like 2,700 sqm of shopping space.”
As you enter Biza there are both EU and non-EU sections with cigarettes and alcohol, then as you continue you pass beauty, bags, perfume and gifts, all cleverly arranged in neat zones that entice you off the main path. Shilson says: “All the big brands are here – it’s more like something you would expect at Heathrow.”
To reduce stress while shopping, there are also departure screens around the store so you can keep an eye on the status of your flight. As passengers reach the gates, they pass through the food zone, which has outlets such as Giraffe, Starbucks and the Real Food Company, a healthy self-service option.
Next to the gates is Be Relax, a new offering where you can grab a ten-minute massage or manicure.
Lounges
Once you have emerged from Biza, you will arrive in another shopping area with a low ceiling, which is also where you will find the lounges.
Emirates opened its new facility (pictured above) at the end of last year and it is open to first and business class passengers and gold members of its Skywards frequent flyer scheme. The 900 sqm, 146-seat venue has three areas – a quiet zone with no music or media, a TV/business centre area, and a dining section with a buffet, a selection of starters and hot food options. Wifi is free, and there are showers with amenity kits, and remote-controlled toilets with bidets. A massage area is due to open soon.
Other lounges include two run by Servisair, while in July, the airport will open its own lounge opposite Emirates’. Harrison says: “It will be for business travellers and families, with private rooms [for meetings].” Barrett adds: “The lounge will have free wifi [currently the airport charges £5 an hour but this will change] and decent meals.”
Harrison concludes: “We are trying to meet the needs of both business and leisure travellers. We work to make sure you can fly direct without having to go via London and have strong business destinations in America, the Far East and India – we are also strengthening our presence in Europe and the Middle East.”
Additional research by Maggie Squires
Which terminal?
Airlines that fly from Manchester include:
Terminal 1: Emirates, Etihad Airways, Finnair, Lufthansa, Ryanair, SAS, Swiss
Terminal 2: Air France, Continental, Delta, KLM, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, US Airways, Virgin Atlantic
Terminal 3: American Airlines, Bmi, Bmi Baby, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Easyjet, Flybe, Qantas, United Airlines
Getting there
? Rail The station is in the heart of the airport complex and serves the city centre directly, with about six trains an hour to and from Manchester Piccadilly. The journey takes 13 to 25 minutes and costs £3.20 single. The first train from Manchester Piccadilly is at 0344 and the last is at 2355.
? Bus There’s a 24-hour number 43 Skyline bus connecting the airport and the city centre. It takes between 45 minutes and an hour and departs every 30 minutes. Price is £2.40 for a single.
? Taxi It takes about 30 minutes to reach the city centre, costing about £20.
? Car If you’re driving, type the following postcodes into your satnav: Terminal 1 – M90 3PY; Terminal 2 – M90 4ZY; Terminal 3 – M90 3NZ. For the postcodes of each car park, see the panel overleaf.
Car parking
Visit manchesterairport.co.uk for more information on these options and to book.
Long-stay
There are two long-stay car parks – one for T1 and T3 and another for T2. The drive-up charge is from £20 for up to 24 hours, £35 for two days, £45 for three days, £50 for four days, £55 for five days, £59 for six days, £64 for a week, and £6.50 for each day thereafter.
Transfer buses run on a 24-hour basis every 15 minutes, with a journey time of five minutes.
Short-stay
There are also two options for this, one at T1/T2 and one at T3. Charges start at £2 for 30 minutes, with 24 hours costing £27. Both car parks are a few minutes’ walk from their respective terminals.
Valet parking
There are two valet car parks – for Terminals 1 and 3, the satnav postcode is M90 3PY, and for T2 it’s M90 4ZY. Have your booking voucher and reference ready, hand in your keys, collect the receipt and walk across to the terminal. There’s a minimum stay of three days.
Shuttle park
This is located just over 1.5km from the airport (satnav postcode M22 5YA). Transfer buses run every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day and the journey takes about ten minutes. Pre-book to save money.
jetparks.co.uk
Jetparks.co.uk (off-airport parking but part of Manchester Airports Group) has two car parks less than 1.5km from the airport (postcodes M90 5AZ and M90 4EG) and is a budget option, with prices as low as £3 a day if you book 24 hours in advance.
The car parks are manned 24 hours by airport staff and official airport transfer buses stop here every 15 minutes, dropping off at all three terminals. You have to pre-book but there is no minimum stay requirement.
Hotels near the airport
Hilton Manchester Airport
Five minutes by airport shuttle bus (it’s free and runs every 30 minutes, but make sure you request it to stop at the Hilton), the property has 230 rooms starting from 16 sqm, three bars and restaurants, and 24-hour room service. There are 16 meeting rooms, a gym (open 6.30am-10.30pm) and a business centre open daily from 7am to 3am. Parking is charged at £10 for 24 hours, while wired in-room internet access is £15 for 24 hours. Wifi in the public areas is £10 for 24 hours.
Tel +44 (0)161 4353 000; hilton.co.uk | Rooms from £89
Bewley’s Manchester airport
Bewley’s has 365 rooms and is a five-minute walk from Terminals 1 and 3 (a free 24-hour shuttle bus also runs to and from all terminals – when you arrive dial 3090 from any of the blue or white courtesy phones in the airport). There’s a brasserie and lounge bar, meeting facilities for 60 people, a gym and “park, stay and fly” packages.
Tel +44 (0)161 498 1390; bewleyshotels.com | Rooms from £69
Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport
Located on the airport complex at T3, and a short, free shuttle service away from T1 and T2, this four-star hotel has 294 rooms. In-room internet is charged at £15 for 24 hours (the business centre offers access for £3 for 15 minutes, £7 for 45 minutes or £10 for 90 minutes). There are two restaurants, two bars, 24-hour room service, a gym, sauna and eight meeting rooms. Parking is £10 a night or there are “park, stay and go” packages.
Tel +44 (0)871 9429 055; ichotelsgroup.com | Rooms from £80
Radisson Blu Manchester airport
The hotel has direct access to T1 and T2 via the Skylink, and free shuttle buses run to T3 from the train station opposite every 15 minutes. There are 360 rooms (Business Class ones have extra amenities), 30 meeting spaces, two restaurants, a pool, free wifi and a three-hour laundry service. Parking is £2 an hour or £10 a day.
Tel +44 (0)161 490 5000; manchester.radissonsas.co.uk | Rooms from £106
Premier Inn Manchester airport
About 1.5km away from the airport, this Premier Inn has 195 rooms with showers. Wifi costs £3 an hour or £10 for 24 hours. There are three meeting rooms – the largest with a maximum capacity of 35 – and a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Parking is charged at £5 a day and there are also “park and fly” deals on the website. An airport shuttle bus runs from 4am to about 10.30pm and costs £3 for a single or £5 for a return; however, note that as it serves three hotels, the journey can take up to 30 minutes. Taxis cost £6 and take about five minutes. Opposite the hotel is the Premier Inn Manchester Airport Freight Terminal, which has 166 rooms.
Tel +44 (0)870 423 6464; premierinn.com | Rooms from £49
