Manchester Airport

✅ Trip Verified | This has always been a pretty mediocre airport, but it gets worse with every visit I make. Terminal one staff at passport control and search are the rudest, ignorant bunch I have ever met. They don’t look at you, smile, respond to reasonable questions about belongings or procedures and are just not fit for purpose. I agree with your recent reviewer about the place being dirty and overcrowded, and the attitude is apparent even in the tone of the announcements made on some occasions. Overpriced as are all airports, nonchalance and indifference often accentuated by ignorance and arrogance is the order of the day here.

Not Verified | This was our second experience of Manchester airport this year and both times it was a nightmare. Had to walk a long way to get to departures area of Terminal 1 as had to enter via arrivals section. Have never seen so many people at the airport and both times we travelled weren't even during school holidays. Very few seats available and all food outlets absolutely packed. Even before this we had to endure long queues to get through security, queues in the toilets, queues in the shops. If the terminals can't cope with the number of passengers why are they accepting all these flights? By the way the security staff are unfortunately rather aggressive and unpleasant. I appreciate it must be an awful environment to work in but there is no need to be rude to the travellers. Would I fly from Manchester again? Not if I can help it! Have just booked a holiday via Leeds Bradford and will do everything in my power to avoid Manchester if I can. If you have no choice please get there really early to allow you time to get through security.

✅ Trip Verified | Terminal 1. Dirty, overcrowded, passport control has long, long queues. As an arrival terminal it is not fit for purpose. Going from T1 to railway station torture. I intend to avoid Manchester airport whenever possible.

✅ Trip Verified | A nightmare, it’s reached the point of being the worst airport I’ve used in my whole life including many in Europe, USA, the Middle East and Asia. During the last 25 years I’ve flown from Australia to the UK every 1 to 2 years alternating between Manchester and Heathrow airports depending on airline, fare and itinerary. In this time, I’ve seen Manchester deteriorate to reach rock bottom while Heathrow has improved, I never have any problems there. Manchester is the most convenient airport for visiting family who lived nearby and who now live in Cumbria but on this last visit I decided to use Heathrow despite needing to get from there to Euston Station and having a much longer journey north. Unfortunately, I still needed to use Manchester to fly to and from Dubrovnik for a holiday with family. Check in and security on departure were actually better than the last experience I had here, still not efficient but the staff were quite pleasant, not rudely bellowing instructions and treating passengers like cattle as they were on my last visit. Regrettably I was caught up in a 2-hour immigration queue on my return. Finally, it was my turn to be processed by a sour faced immigration officer and then to reclaim my luggage. Luggage enquiries directed me to Carousel 5 where one lonely bag was going around and around, it wasn’t mine! I waited till the carousel stopped then went back to enquiries. This time I was directed to Carousel 6 where I found my case. It was now 3 hours since my flight had landed, I’d missed the train I was booked on, my ankles had swollen and my legs had flared with eczema after standing for such a long time, not much fun for someone in their 70’s. I later learned that my sister and brother-in-law had also been delayed at the airport. In their case it was waiting for luggage, they’d cleared immigration more quickly due to their UK passports. I could have used mine but would still have had to wait while my husband queued with his Australian passport. Our daughter and her colleague travelling on a business trip from Australia also had the misfortune of using this airport. When they arrived at mid-morning the immigration area was fairly quiet with only about 20 people waiting to be processed. They were all left stranded when the only immigration officer on duty took off (for morning tea?). It took some time for a replacement officer to arrive. Our daughter laughed, she knew what to expect, but what a poor impression it gives of the UK. My husband is refusing to use Manchester airport again.

Not Verified | Dirty and overcrowded airport. Total chaos in car parks and approach roads. Long queue to security with poor route information air side. Poor airport food operators (get Wetherspoons) they will show how it is done. Tables not cleared in the main bars and restaurants. Over priced food and drinks. Smelly toilets. Must be poor management. Take a lesson from Gatwick. On drop off, a unexpected exit charge with is a another rip off. Good gesture to drop this. Will avoid travelling from there if possible.

Not Verified | Well if you like adventure and a feeling that maybe you'll be on the last day of your life here is the airport for you. Security is a real adventure having flown through Syria, Turkey and Lebanon I have never felt more at risk than in the "security area at Manchester". 500 people packed into a room - who at this stage have not been checked over - shuffle through for an hour to get into the secure area -- then ok we can breath and relax. Except the toilets in the main lounge area are beyond being acceptable. Pity this city - Manchester - was once proud of its Airport. Progress I guess...Hmmmm

✅ Trip Verified | A very unpleasant experience. Worst of all was security where the staff were unhelpful and much more interested in chatting amongst themselves than explaining to us what to do to or helping us in any way. They came across as being unprofessional and uninterested in the passengers. Also it was very hard to escape the raucous piped music which added to the unpleasant experience of the airport. The contrast with Zürich airport, where we had been the day before the day before, could not have been greater.

✅ Trip Verified | Definitely a disgrace and one of the worst airports I know, if not the worst, and I know many! I am forced to use this airport every week for business trip and I will change my destination as soon as an alternative arises. Ground staff unavailable. It happens once every two trips that it takes 5 to 10 mn to get the bridge to disembark from the aircraft. Sometimes, even the guidance of the aircraft to its parking stop is not available! Security checks picky, slow and not efficient. They have installed body scanners that lead me almost systematically to be searched (obviously for nothing!) after passing through. Where is customer respect? Adjust the detection level or scrap this. When you are unlucky enough to have your luggage randomly searched, it can take up to 20 min (Yes, twenty!) to have it done! If security wants to be picky, they have to re-staff urgently! Car rental shuttle irregular, unreliable and uncomfortable. You can wait up to 20-30 mn to get the shuttle, as the traffic in the airport is so badly organized and regulated. More: their badge to pass the automatic gate does not always work. I saw one bus stuck 5 mn at the gate, forced to call for assistance to have the gate opened. Ridiculous! Not to mention the driving abilities of some drivers who confuse airport shuttle and rally, and the water flowing under the shuttle door and soaking the bus floor when there is heavy rain. Crowded and unpleasant (T3). When a flight is boarding, it becomes almost impossible to walk through the gates area. The lounges are undersized compared to the airport traffic. Do not know BA lounge but only 1903 lounge has a friendly staff and international standard quality. In conclusion: the obvious short-term profit, stingy and tightfisted strategy of this airport management will lead the traffic elesewhere, for the benefit of passenger. The earlier, the better!

✅ Trip Verified | Utter utter chaos! Terminal 1 arrivals car park was full to gridlock. Cars were queuing back to the M56 just to get in to Manchester airport. I feel so sorry for those people who had allowed good time to catch flights but were stuck in a traffic jam. The authorities deserve to lose their licence to run an airport given the complete gridlock that resulted from what I assume was a completely predictable bottleneck caused by scheduled incoming flights. (Maybe there was some other reason - but Manchester certainly didn't tell us anything!). The poor parking attendants were doing their best to move vehicles out of the airport. They were operating the exit barriers as fast as they could - getting vehicles to leave the site for free. But the exit barriers were shutting down. They were not even allowed to open the gates manually. Utterly deplorable. At terminal one there were 3 exit gates. I heard one parking attendant pleading with his manager to allow him to open the gates manually whilst miles of incoming traffic backed up from the M56. One of the gates had shut down for a reason we could not fathom - thus reducing exit traffic to 2 lanes - and having a knock on effect on the incoming traffic. Recommend that you avoid Manchester as a travel hub. They are incompetent and seriously need to improve their act. We shall certainly avoid this airport in future.

Not Verified | A disgrace still. I have been avoiding using this airport but I had no alternative on this occasion. My advice is simple. if you have an alternative choice use it. I would say that if it means adding 90 minutes to your journey you will still easily recover that time. Lifts not working escalators not working kept on board aircraft as no steps available they left steps where our aircraft was supposed to de plane its passengers but it couldn't get to its stand because of steps rude passport staff rude police the last 2 seem to have forgotten they are paid by the public to protect us they need retraining no one giving advice as to where to catch transport get it sorted Manchester airport or get out of the business 1 star because I couldn't select 0