[TonyR]

I’m a northern lad and wanted it to do well but I don’t think so. Just for the first time flown in-transit through Manchester Airport BGI-MAN-DBX-MEL & back (MEL-SIN-MAN-BGI) and have to say the experience was dire. Got off the Virgin flight to transfer to Emirates with a 7hr layover and cannot connect airside so had to go through Immigration and Customs.

Hand baggage only but noticed that in the international arrivals baggage halls luggage trolleys are charged for and need UK coins or notes to release them – very practical for international arrivals NOT. (for which see later)

A long long walk between terminals 2 and 1 in the cold with none of the travelators working and poor signage for example a split for T1A and T1B with no sign to say which is which. Tried to check in at Emirates to be told I couldn’t for another three hours because apparently baggage handling could only handle one flight at a time and they were checking in an earlier flight. Quite how that affected me with hand baggage only I struggle to understand.

So had to sit in the freezing cold lobby of T1 for 3 hrs clothed only for Caribbean and Australian summer weather. Went to get some UK money out of the ATM to find the airport has seemingly done an exclusive deal with Travelex who charge £2.50 for withdrawals on a UK bank with a UK bank card. No free High Street bank ATMs to be seen. The information point seemed clueless and repeatedly gave me wrong information or didn’t know. For example suggested I got some money instead from the Post Office right next to them without realising it didn’t open for another 2 hrs and sent me to Emirates to check in without realising I couldn’t.

Eventually got checked in, went through passport control and security to the Emirates Lounge which was shut – it was open earlier for the earlier flight serving breakfast, which I was hungry for, but then closes and reopens later for my flight with lunch. Eventually got in and got some much needed food after which everything went back to what I would expect.

Similar experience on the way back except I now only had two hours to go out, check back in and go through security in the same terminal this time and get to the gate. Fortunately my inbound flight was on time and I had no checked baggage to wait for. Definitely wouldn’t have made my connection if I had. No signage for departures from arrivals. Arrived at the “Virgin” lounge an hour before the flight and thought I had time for breakfast only for the flight to be called 5 mins later and half an hour before boarding. So no breakfast and staff told me it was because its a 20 min walk to the gate. Which is was with only one travelator working. Inadequate seats against the wall seating only and not boarding so had to stand around for 10 mins till they opened the gate.

I wanted to like it and support it but it’s not set up to be an international airport. Next time sorry MAN but it’ll be LHR for me.

4 users thanked author for this post.

PhilipHart, Johnnyg, stevescoots, GivingupBA

[TominScotland]

TonyR, sounds a nightmare – you are not the first to (rightly) complain about Manchester.

Just one small quibble – “Eventually got checked in, went through passport control and security to the Emirates Lounge” – I am not sure you went through Passport Control as this does not exist when exiting the UK.

[TonyR]

Maybe not. Not at my best after long flights. 🙄

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=1348969]Next time sorry MAN but it’ll be LHR for me.[/quote]

Hello TonyR,

You must have had a good reason for this routing which, to my mind, is rather a strange one seeing as neither airline has any connection with one another and you couldn’t through check. Maybe the price was lower or maybe you were enrolled in the VS loyalty scheme ?

From what I can see the recognised routing is with BA BGI-LHR connecting at LHR from T5 to T4 then QR LHR-DOH-MEL.

Through tickets are sold and QR code shares with BA on the BGI-LHR sector.

Maybe the LHR terminal change is a disadvantage but you can have (depending on day of travel) 2 hrs 45 mins to make the connection.

[TonyR]

It is not the routing I would normally choose but when my hosts in Australia booked them at the beginning of January for a late Feb departure they were virtually the only business class tickets left to go BGI-MEL in time hence the obscure routing. Even then I arrived a day later than I would have preferred. But that’s peripheral to the issue in hand which is Manchester really needs to up its game if it aspires to be an international hub. It reminded me more of Luton than Heathrow. I just got the feeling that whoever is responsible for it has no real experience of international travel and was more focussed on making (luggage trolleys, ATMs) and saving (travelators, heating) money that passenger experiences.

1 user thanked author for this post.

GivingupBA

[AMcWhirter]

Thanks for the prompt reply TonyR.

It makes more sense now. From experience I know that airlines / travel agents in certain areas of the world can string together routings and airline combinations which may not be offered here in Europe (maybe the Caribbean) too).

As Tom notes above there have been endless issues with MAN throughout last year and these have been widely reported.

Does MAN aspire to be a hub airport ? That is the question here.

In fact MAN makes a living out of its airline customers overseas feeding their hubs.

Examples include: CX/SQ/EK/TK/ET/QR/LX/AF/LH/KL.

One could even add BA and VS who rely on domestic passengers to feed their hubs at LHR. (Since joining Skyteam VS is shifting its attention to LHR).

Please correct me if you think I am mistaken.

Of course many of their passengers will continue onwards but that’s a different matter.

[JD_84]

Manchester is somewhat caught in a bit of an identity crisis. The new parts of T2, I say parts as some airlines are still checking in on the old side of the building which does still have issues with baggage handling, are nice, spacious and inviting – though there is a lack of substance in the departure lounge apart from a nice Duty Free store, a Boots and a WHSmith unless you want to eat at the food court. Hopefully when the other side of the departure lounge is completed, and T1 closed down it will be a much better environment, and maybe even have the VA lounge that has long been promised.

Count yourself lucky you didn’t go through T3, it reminds me of 1990’s Luton Airport… The lounge can only be described as “functional”, with its segregated area for BA. On a recent flight we were held in a freezing corridor by the gate (it was -5 outside), for 15 mins while they finished preparing the aircraft.

[AndrewinHK]

I haven’t experienced a connection at Manchester, but my sister has, connecting from LHR onto a CX flight to Hong Kong, due to LHR direct to HK flights being full. I had a tearful phone call from a person who isn’t easily distressed, a series of unfortunate events, chaotic security, an airport not really set up for connections, and a missed flight. I booked her into the Radisson at Manchester airport (they could see she was upset on check in and upgraded her to a suite, and were incredibly warm and friendly, and invited her to have a free glass of wine, so highly recommend if you ever need s place to stay), and she made it onto the CX flight the next day.

[stevescoots]

[postquote quote=1349018]

same happened to me, last MAN flight kept in bridge and corridor 25 mins and freezing outside. lord knows why and i asked the CSD when boarded and they had no idea either.

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JD_84

[CathayLoyalist2]

As I have said on many occasions when the CEO of any supposed customer focused organisation whether it be Mancheste Airport or any other entity has little experience or knowledge as to the real value of an ongoing loyal customer you get an exclusively bottom line focused executive to the detriment of said customers. Shareholders likewise couldn´t careless about anything other than the return/dividend.

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stevescoots

[nevereconomy]

I spent nearly 40 years outside the UK, with parents in Cheshire, so have very extensive experience of Manchester Airport. At some stages of parental issues I was doing PHL-MAN or some Asian business trip destination-MAN-PHL or VV on a monthly basis for quite a lot of years and I can honestly say that I have never had a truly horrendous experience there compared with my experience of a host of top notch and not so top notch airports all around the world. Yes, I have had some irritations of slow rescreening when I committed horrible offences like not putting my wax earplugs in the separate plastic bag. It is a bit scruffy, but so is Papeete. The lounges may not be the best, but they beat standing outside in Rarotonga waiting for the flight and you can have a drink wthout the accusing looks given out some of those fabulous ME lounges. I think I managed my expectations years ago and with all its faults it has always got me where I wanted to go.

1 user thanked author for this post.

stevescoots

[cwoodward]

Nice try nevereconomy but putting lipstick on a pig never works -its still obviously a pig as is Manchester airport.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Johnnyg

[Author]

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