Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport has rude and obsessive security staff who treat the passengers as imbeciles. We travel frequently through many airports including Heathrow but Manchester is the worst. Check in staff waved the prohibited items list in front of us and when we answered that we didn't have any she insisted that we read it as it may have changed in since we'd last travelled 2 weeks ago. On entering security instructions are barked out but even though these are complied with staff at the other end find fault. Every second passenger is asked to remove something further from their hand luggage, items such as asthma inhalers that other airports don't question. Items are constantly replaced in trays and returned for re-scanning making it easy to lose them. They seem to be deliberately obstructive here causing long queues and chaos. Having left Manchester we transited in Munich and Singapore where staff were reasonable, pleasant and polite - what a contrast.

We arrived 1.5 hours before our flight from Manchester to Zurich so we could get a drink and a hot meal. No chance. The queues to get through security were horrendous. There were lots of staff around but a lot just walking around shouting orders in very strong Manchester accents (pity the non English speakers in the queues). Manchester puts all liquids in plastic bags - even mascara tubes and lighters (even though the lighter in my jacket pocket went undetected). The queues risked people missing their flights but the security staff were still rude and made them wait longer.

We arrived back last night on Flight BE820 from Douglas Isle of Man into terminal 3. The flight took half an hour and our case took 35 minutes to come through. We did not know which carousel our suitcase was going to come out on as our flight was not displayed anywhere. We had to keep going from the 3 carousels to check where our case was. It eventually came out on carousel 2 but never showed our flight details. This is not the first time we have had trouble with cases coming out late. We travel about twice a year and Manchester has got to be the worst airport for baggage handling. Every time we arrive in Manchester we always have to wait ages for our baggage to come through. I know it depends on the airlines as to whether they will pay for baggage handlers for their flights. But I cannot believe an large airport like Manchester who must make a fortune from customers can not have enough baggage handlers to get rid of congestion at arrivals.

I arrived into terminal 1 and left 4 hours later from terminal 3. Absolute chaos from start to finish. There are just too many people and not enough staff or space. Lost items at security, queuing for immigration, queuing at security, queuing and waiting for food. I usually fly out of Edinburgh airport which is also operating well beyond capacity but is efficient and really focused on the job at hand. If there are queues there it is reported and people lose their jobs. Manchester airport seriously needs to sharpen up its act.

Departure was quite painless although they did hound my 78 year old dad because his knee replacements kept setting off the walk through alarm. They were not nice about it either. The Coffee at Costa in T3 was about the worst cup of coffee I have ever tasted, instant would have been nicer. Arriving back in the UK was pretty fast until you hit passport control with the biometric scanners. Almost everybody in front of us got stuck here. They do not give enough clear instructions on how the process works. First the gate will not open if you are standing too close to it, so people were standing there confused as to why the gate won't open until the harassed staff say you need to stand back a pace then it will open. Then when you put your passport into the machine it doesn't register and gives no feedback so you stand there again wondering what is wrong. The staff then say "turn your passport around, photo in first" which then works so you are now staring at a screen with 5 circles that fill up like a progress meter only they repeat this cycle about 10 times so you are again wonder if anything is really happening. Whomever designed this system should take a course on user interface design because this was chaos for all first time users. Other than that everything else was good. Signs are easy to follow, toilets are clean, seating is ok and the general staff everywhere else (other than mentioned) were pleasant and helpful.

Arrived back at Manchester terminal 2 Thursday 28th April and was greeted with hundreds of people waiting in line at passport control, absolute chaos, herded around like cattle. How come non EU arrivals were being processed first whilst the rest of us were made to feel like illegal immigrants. As for the biometric passport system this was a joke they only worked intermittently. The border control staff were rude and arrogant after a 10 hour flight back to my own country this is not what one expects. It was a total shambles, get your act together Manchester.

I use Manchester a lot but it is some time since I've used Terminal 1 at anywhere near peak time. 7.30 on a weekday morning is not a good time to arrive there. It took 45 minutes to snake my way through security. The staff were very helpful and no-one was a jobsworth but there were simply too many people for the space and desks available. I see that they are improving these facilities and that can't come soon enough

My flight departed late evening from Manchester's T2. I was astonished to find, after passing through security, that pretty much every shop and eating outlet was closed at 19.30. With a long flight and connection ahead of me, I had planned to arrive at the airport in plenty of time and eat my evening meal before boarding. This, however was not the case, there was only one bar open which had the wide selection of either a meat feast or margarita pizza baguette. I bought one as there was no other choice, it was like chewing a brick. I cannot believe that a terminal operating long haul night flights is incapable of providing its customers with a decent selection of basic food and drink facilities or shops that are open. The airline I flew with is great and always my first choice, however based on the poor evening terminal provision, I would seriously consider using an alternative airline in future departing from another terminal, as it was, quite frankly, appalling.

What a poor, scruffy, outdated airport this is and it is always busy so cash should not be a problem. Security is a joke, passengers are herded around like cattle, the staff range from sarcastic, to just okay to downright rude, you do get the occasional friendly one but not often. Passport control is verging on the ridiculous, the machines don't work properly for many people - and why is this? No investment. I always feel very ashamed when I see visitors to our country having to endure this terrible first impression, it's a wonder they don't turn straight around and head home. Come on Manchester airport - get into the 21st century.

I flew out with Jet2 on 12th April. Check in was fine and staff very helpful. Arrived at Security and let me make it quite clear I am very happy with all the checks as they are for my safety, however the way they were done was even worse than it used to be in the U.S.A. some years ago. I was wearing and carrying exactly the same things as I was when I flew TAP to Lisbon approximately 1 month ago and then I did not set off the alarm. However this time I did. The lady who dealt with me, her manners were non-existent. I realise they have a job to do but 'would you take off your shoes' instead of 'take off your shoes' will gain them far more respect than I had for this authoritarian battle-axe.