Manchester Airport

✅ Trip Verified | I've been using Manchester for 50 or so years and I used to enjoy the experience, it is now the absolute pits. From the self scanning check in at departure, to the mind boggling cock up they call security it's nothing short of absolutely abysmal. On arrival back at Manchester we spent a full hour disembarking, only one bus to clear a 767 and then the walk to what's called border control, more like George Orwell mind control. Without swearing I can only quote John McEnroe Manchester your the pits of the world! That's the airport not my city.

✅ Trip Verified | I don't know about the rest of the airport but this place is a disgrace and a nightmare for International transit travelers. We came in from JFK on Virgin Airlines. First they didn't have our gate ready. So we had to spend an extra 20 minutes on the runway. Once we got off the airplane there was very poor signed and no airline reps to tell you where to go. After speaking to some other we figured it and proceeded to get crammed in like sardines into a bus to go to another terminal. Once at the new terminal they had you walk up stairs with all your carry ons only to be queued into another line to go through security again. Mind you we just got off a 747 with lots of passengers. They only had 1 security line open and the people running it were so disorganized and slow. Others in line feared they were going to miss their connections. We must have waited 45 minutes here. Once finished with security we were queued into this very bizzare system of ropes that even the guy running it didn't know what to do. We were let in one rope to pickup tickets for our connecting flight. Then we had come back out of those ropes into another queue for passport control. Finally had to figure out which door to exit through. Next we had to walk through a series of narrow hallways. Finally to a main open area. Then we had to find our gate and go through another set of doors but with this set there was very little signage and 1 guys working on a queue of 100 people looking to exit. Finally up more steps and down another hallway and we were at our gate. The plane was at the end of boarding. The gate agent said "Where have you guys been? You arrived two hours ago." Next we had to walk down more steps only to be queued again. Nobody at the bottom to help us. We had to walk back up the stairs to find out what we were supposed to do. Finally we were let out to walk to the aircraft. My wife and I are world travelers and have never had such a poor experience at the airport.

Not Verified | Miserable and penny pinching. Checked in my mum who was a wheelchair passenger travelling alone. Emirates staff member the most blank and unfriendly as they get. After checking in, we went to give in a small box in the area that accepts outsize items. Queued for 30 mins to the front and then they closed the collection are and asked us to go to the one at the other end of the terminal. No apology, nothing, just started to shut the doors. Left my mum in the wheelchair and went to given in the bag at the other collection desk. After finishing this, I went back to get my mum in the wheelchair, took her to the area where they collect wheelchair passengers and waited there for 30 mins again. Stern, unfriendly looks again. Cost £9.50 parking for the 1hr 50min privilege and the £1 for the baggage trolley. When you park, rather than the 1st floor parking being for disabled customers, thery were for "premium" customers. So parked 3 floors above and no trolleys near where we parked and to find the trolley and take mum. Inconsiderate, don't think about customer experience and money grabbing. I am from Manchester and love it to bits but the people who work at the airport are no representation of the wonderful people that make up Manchester. And the council, you are taking the mickey with your costs. Sort it out, not a good perception of our beautiful city.

Not Verified | I found this airport very stressful to use, mostly ill manored staff and quite dirty. Using the toilet was stressful in the main departure area as there were no locks on the cubicle so I had to stretch my hand to the door to stop another person walking in. Check in staff have major attitude, there is not many quiet areas or places to sort your bag out and way too many useless shops, most of cafes are dirty with unwiped tables. Worst of all is the security staff who seem to very much enjoy the power they are given, you have to shuffle along stressfully taking shoes and belt off while pressurised from the queue to hurry, if you make one mistake you are treated like a criminal. Up in arrival there is always a very large queue and sometimes we are forced to use these scanning machines were you are herded in like a sheep. It has put me right off travelling and I don't know why they act this way. I have used several airports all over Europe and the staff have more manners than at Manchester.

✅ Trip Verified | I worked at Manchester Airport for 14 years and travelled from it since the 70s. Last year I booked a car parking space at T1 long Stay. On arrival I found it difficult to find a parking space and the shuttle bus driver seemed to be ignoring us, so we walked to the terminal. On return, It was difficult to manoeuvre my car out of the parking space because of vehicles parked behind me on the road, which obviously couldn't find a space either. This year I decided to take a taxi to the airport, as this proved marginally cheaper. The taxi driver was bemoaning the introduction this month of charges for dropping off travellers and informed us that M/A now charge for baggage trolleys which is not refundable. He further complained that the reconstruction of road network was confusing (and he is there almost every day). I confirmed with him that since I worked there from 1992 and it has been an on going project, but it only seems to get worse rather than better. If the chaos of the road system was bad, it was nothing compared to the chaos in the terminal. There is obviously insufficient security staff as testified by the long slow moving queues. I had purchased a plastic see through toiletries bag from Boots which contained miniature toiletries but I was asked to transfer them into another see through plastic bag, which helped to cause further delay to other travellers. Why is one clear bag different to another? On previous visits my wife has carried her hair straightener in her hand luggage but this time she was told in a condescending way that there are signs saying it should be removed from the case, and her case was taken out of view for further examination. As I was placing my belt etc in the tray for the x ray machine my passport and boarding card were grabbed out of my hand and placed in the tray. As I was being search by a security officer he was telling me how unhappy the staff were, due to altered shift patterns, nothing new for Manchester Airport. Once inside terminal 3 departures I was surprised at how many people were there. The place was really uncomfortably crowded with insufficient seating and difficulty moving around. This terminal was never designed to accommodate this volume of people. I don't know if I can blame M/R airport for this one or Ryanair but the flight was delayed and for about half an hour it was showing gate opening in five minutes. When the gate did open before we had got anywhere near the gate they were announcing final call for our flight which set my wife into panic mode. On arrival at the gate we were in a queue for about 15 minutes before any gate staff arrived, with inadequate seating at the gate. We were then ushered onto the stairwell and had to wait about ten minutes before boarding in very hot conditions. On our return journeey we passed through two airports and the clear toiletries bag we had purchased from Boots cleared security with no problem. When we arrived at T1 we were herded like cattle through a criss cross grid to the passport control. My experience of Manchester Airport is of a chaotic, money pinching, expensive nightmare.

✅ Trip Verified | I arrived at the security area and complied with the requests for all the checks. All except for not taking my handkerchief and credit card wallet from my trouser pockets. There upon the obnoxious security staff gave me the full treatment. I am 80 years old and I reckon that they owed me some respect. Nowhere on my travels have I witnessed such disgraceful behaviour. I will never be using this airport ever again.

Not Verified | Many years ago this used to be a good airport, but then they discovered shops (full of stuff no-one needs) and filled the place with them, totally ignoring passenger gates, quiet areas etc. The accountants started to get a stranglehold over everything (chargeable, non-refundable trolleys for example, parking charges, and no doubt currently trying to work out how to make the loos a premium offer). So now it's the pits and a grubby pits at that. Security in Terminal 1 appears to be an exercise is how slow anyone can be while exhibiting the most passive-aggresive behaviours. Passport control on return to UK in T1 is designed to give you a taste of post Brexit hell. Interestingly the passport hall does contain the only water fountain I've ever seen in Manchester (I'm sure they're despised by the accountants because they're free and thus a reduction in the bottom line) However, all is not lost as far as they're concerned, because it's behind a security tape efficiently patrolled - apparently by a former member of the Stasi whose chief role is to keep you in the endless queue for the border. Luggage appears to come through quickly, mostly because your mind has overlooked the 30 - 40 mins you've spent in the queue for passport control. Meet & Greet (the confusing name for valet parking) works quite well but is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. Never fear, the MAN accountants will soon fix that by pricing it out of the range of most normal people.

Not Verified | Arrived in good time T1 for a 7.55 departure, 15th June. The T1 security queue was backed up out of security and snaked around various check in areas. It took 30 minutes of queuing just to get to the security entrance. Staff switched us to the "fast lane" however, even using the "Fast Lane" our security process took 50 minutes. Those in the normal queue 100 + minutes. It really is farcical at this airport. No way to prepare for a business trip. All the airside shops were empty as nobody had time to use them. The airport know how many flights there are, they know the passenger loadings and times but constantly fail to provide adequate facilities. The whole T1 experience is a dismal abysmal experience that is an embarrassment to the city. The place should be avoided until some action is taken. On return to MAN, only a few people had checked bags in, but these took over an hour to be delivered, in fact the aircraft had departed on the next sector before Manchester managed to deliver the bags. Under-resourced miserable place to travel to/from.

✅ Trip Verified | Travelled through Manchester airport recently. Security staff attitude still very pathetic. Some are friendly, but some are outright rude. One of the worst airports to go through security. I travel through Australian airports regularly and Manchester staff need to learn how to smile and be friendly. Hope they improve.

Not Verified | Having Manchester as my nearest airport to my family is dreadful. I have flown into many airports around the world, and I have never been to one as disfunctional, chaotic and stressful as Manchester. If I have a departing flight I wait sometimes over 30 minutes for security, in which we are tightly crammed into a room full of people. Then onto the waiting lounges which have rubbish on the floor, overfull bins and once again too many people. On my return back into Manchester, I am not greeted by a small line for passport control, such as other airports. But by a long, noisy wait, with no organisation at all. Please Manchester, just get new management.