Manchester Airport

My daughter arrived at Manchester from NZ on 7th Dec 09 with two children and six items of baggage. New there was going to be a problem when passengers coming through were complaining that they had to be given pound coins by kind UK based passengers. On arrival at baggage collection with children my daughter couldn't get a trolley because you needed a pound coin! where does a foreign traveller arriving in UK get a pound coin for use at baggage collection. Unhelpful staff compounded problems which led to tears and eventually a trolley was found. Manchester Airport still haven't answered my email.

T2 with Qatar Airways to HKG. Both flights on time. Afternoon departure: busy terminal 5 minute queue at check-in cleared security within 5 minutes as queue was short. Early morning arrival: cleared immigration 15 minutes after landing despite a long taxi from runway and several long-haul arrivals. Bag on belt 5 minutes later. No air bridge on return short bus ride to terminal. Terminal mostly clean and tidy but toilet cleanliness could be improved. Staff polite and efficient throughout. Valet parking remarkably good value at £39.99 for 9 days.

Appallingly stressful security arrangements long delays and herded around by surly staff. Plastic bags for a pound - a rip-off. Should be free considering the enormous airport taxes we all pay. Customs officers intimidate passengers as I was yesterday apparently randomly selected and put through the most intrusive interrogation about my movements (at a wedding) and even as a non-resident pensioner having to detail what my last employment in the UK was over 15 years ago.

T2 early in the day so few passengers but security still slow as no-one could go through while previous passengers being wanded/hand searched. Some additional employees would solve this.

Queues at checkin and security can be long but it moves so is tolerable. Immigration is always quick when I arrive here. The shops and restaurants are extortionate so these are best avoided. The staff are friendly and enthusiastic. Some areas look a bit dated now but there is renovation work going on.

T1 overall a bit better than last time - which isn't saying a lot. Only one lift working in T1 multi-storey car-park. Ground floor check-in for Swiss/Lufthansa worked well; new security area in T1 seems to have shaken off the worst of its gremlins. However the exit from T1 security right into the heart of shops shops and more shops is a nightmare - fortunately we weren't pressed for time but if you were then trying to pick your way through crowds of people aimlessly milling around looking at stuff they don't need would be v trying! The departure piers remain as dire as ever with multiple murky ups and downs brought about by segregating inward and outward flows in a place that wasn't designed for it. Baggage return very slow.

T1 to Dublin. Fairly quiet Saturday night and everything went smoothly. No problems though I find T1 rather dark and unwelcoming. Not somewhere you would want to spend several hours in transit. Return had to be bussed from Aer Lingus plane even though it had stopped right next to terminal.

The various terminals at Manchester are improving some quicker than others but at least all are doing so. The big issue remains traffic congestion as Manchester still has roads closed after the Glasgow Airport incident and unlike other airports still closes the roads rather than invest in suitable deterrents. Traffic congestion for drop off and pick up ability is therefore greatly hindered.

T3 late-morning flight to LHR with bmi. Arrived in the car park 60 mins before departure cleared security 10 minutes later. Flight called soon after. Boarding pass scanning before security works perfectly and saves time. Usual friendly but efficient staff at security but the X-ray machines seemed to be working slowly on this occasion - queues of pax were not particularly long so it may have been a machine fault? No problems at the gate quick boarding. Overall I'm getting the impression that things are slowly getting better at MAN at last - each of my recent flights has been slightly better than the last and I really hope this continues.

T2 if you check in online very little queue for bag drop. The new security upstairs was excellent. T2 was undergoing a revamp and it needs it. The terminal has been showing its age for while. I choose to fly from MAN as it is local and find the staff friendly. If you are expecting an airport like Singapore LHR or Hong Kong you are not going to have that experience. If you want a good regional airport then Manchester is great.