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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask if you flew from Manchester recently

141 replies

TinasCrockeryPot · 30/03/2022 08:26

Posting for traffic really. Has anyone flew from Manchester airport recently? What’s was the security queue like? We were thinking about getting to the airport at 4am for a 6.30 flight but reading about the recent waiting times I’m not so sure about that

OP posts:

whiteroseredrose · 02/04/2022 23:06

Manchester Airport has been dreadful for over 10 years. We are 10 minutes away but it sounds like we'd be better off going from Luton this autumn.

cheeseandbiscu1ts · 02/04/2022 23:43

@CactusFlowers

Stupid question, you can only buy fast passes for adults for security. Can you not take children or are they free?

I also want to know this! It only let me book for adults and not the children, no idea what'll happen when we turn up, and we aren't travelling with a buggy. I'm assuming it's free but it's not clear on the website and not in the FAQs

notforonesecond · 03/04/2022 06:18

It’s the same price for children. You have to buy them an “adult” fast track ticket each.

cheeseandbiscu1ts · 03/04/2022 08:52

@notforonesecond

It’s the same price for children. You have to buy them an “adult” fast track ticket each.

Thank you!

dementedma · 03/04/2022 09:09

Currently in Berlin having flown from Edinburgh. Not as bad as Manchester but enough to put me off flying again. Plus the wait for non EU passport control at the other side. Holidays from now on will be in UK or ferry and drive.

Wagsandclaws · 03/04/2022 09:11

We flew from Manchester in December and nearly DIDNT make our flight even though we were nearly 3 hours early.

The queue to check in was huge, the security queue was so long that they were pulling families out that had imminent flights to catch - we still had to run for our flight!

Original poster

TinasCrockeryPot · 04/04/2022 15:55

Flew from Manchester at 06.35 this morning queued for almost an hour at bag drop off but got through security in 20 minutes due to being priority as we had a pram

OP posts:

Torvi · 04/04/2022 16:12

Thanks for updating OP. We fly on Wednesday at 7:50am with 2 kids (no pram) and I'm feeling very anxious about the whole thing.

granny24 · 04/04/2022 16:25

Daughter flew out of Manchester yesterday evening. Everything went perfectly.

harriethoyle · 04/04/2022 20:35

DH flew from Manchester tonight. Hand luggage only, 2 hours to get through security and once through, there was a 45 minute wait for service in the bar so he didn't bother! Absolute chaos apparently, people sitting on the floor because no seats, huge queues at the few outlets open...

problembottom · 04/04/2022 21:03

DP at the airport as we speak, flying to Portugal on business. Dropped him off at 4pm and he’s four hours delayed.

Same story as above. An hour to get through security. Restaurants are completely overwhelmed and the lounges have shut early.

To add insult to injury cost me £5 to drop him off, tried to get the receipt so he could claim it on his expenses and the machine had run out of paper. Lovely!

SarahProblem · 04/04/2022 22:50

Does anyone know if time of day impacts how bad it is? DP and I are flying at 1.30pm on Thursday.

Can't drop off bags until 2 hours before flight....but I'm hearing queues can be for 3 hours. So stressful... I just want to go away on holiday

theworldaccordingtome · 04/04/2022 22:54

Allow loads of time. Seriously. I flew out of Manchester recently and half the people there had forgotten how to do airport security.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/04/2022 05:42

That was my experience too. Infuriating when they've spent half an hour stood next to a line of posters telling them what to do while airport staff also shout out instructions.

People that stupid, lazy or uncooperative shouldn't be allowed to fly.

user1497207191 · 05/04/2022 10:41

@theworldaccordingtome

Allow loads of time. Seriously. I flew out of Manchester recently and half the people there had forgotten how to do airport security.

If that were the only reason, there'd be the same problem in all other airports too!

user1497207191 · 05/04/2022 10:46

@BarbaraofSeville

That was my experience too. Infuriating when they've spent half an hour stood next to a line of posters telling them what to do while airport staff also shout out instructions.

People that stupid, lazy or uncooperative shouldn't be allowed to fly.

Trouble is that the posters don't tell the whole story do they? When you get to the front of the queue, the security staff shout out extra things that weren't on the posters.

The other issue is that MAN's requirements are over and above most other airports. Whenever you fly back, and are taking off your shoes, belts, etc., the airport staff tell you not to, same sometimes with electrical items, they don't want everything out of your pockets/bags, just the big things like laptops, whereas MAN want absolutely everything out and in the tray.

There'd be less confusion if there was consistency between airports and consistency between the signage and the staff!

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 05/04/2022 13:51

There'd be less confusion if there was consistency between airports and consistency between the signage and the staff!

100% this.

notforonesecond · 06/04/2022 04:55

We fly at 7ish today. Arrived 3.30. Dropped car at meet & greet, through bag drop and security in 45 mins. We had fast track and waiting about 3 minutes to go through security. Normal queue wasn’t very long - not out the door or anything.

Now I’m here I can see that lots of the photos of long T2 queues are actually bag drops near security. It really wasn’t bad at all.

Oblomov22 · 06/04/2022 05:30

Oh god this thread makes me shudder. We are flying from Gatwick today. Normally I love flying. Not looking forward to it today.

ChildDLA · 06/04/2022 05:33

Anyone have any reports on Birmingham Airport? We fly from there on Monday, I'm hoping things will have calmed down by then!

CheesecakeAddict · 06/04/2022 06:07

I flew out at half term and gave myself 3 hours for a 6am flight. Security took about 40 minutes but that was because I forgot I'd left my makeup and hand sanitiser in my bag from work 😳. Overall we still had time for a browse in duty free and sit down for breakfast.

ifyouturnonthelight · 06/04/2022 06:10

This is a serious question but do all the people without children or prams have to wait until all the special families have gone through?

hellcatspangle · 06/04/2022 06:27

A close friend flew from Manchester T1 on Monday afternoon (they were panic stricken after reading the reports) they arrived 3.5 hours before flight and It took them 2.5 hours to get through bag drop and security so they got their flight ok. They said the queues at the bars were massive so they didn't manage a pre flight drink.

BarbaraofSeville · 06/04/2022 07:54

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

There'd be less confusion if there was consistency between airports and consistency between the signage and the staff!

100% this.

People were still leaving liquids, including those in containers over 100 ml, tablet computers and other large electronics like full DSLR camera kits with extra lenses, tripods etc in their hand luggage.

The posters and staff were absolutely clear multiple times that all these items had to come out of bags to be screened separately.

This was not just because 'oh the sign said I didn't need to take my phone out and then they pulled me up because my phone was in my bag' and anyway, just why wouldn't you take everything like that out and put it in the tray? Most people's phones were in their hands anyway until they got to the front of the queue.

@ifyouturnonthelight we travelled as a couple and while I did see some families being pulled out separately, it wasn't too bad timewise when we were there anyway. But we travelled on Friday morning and it's been really bad over the weekend, so I think it's hit and miss. We've had it much worse going for the early morning flights before.

Bonus was that when we got through, the two crappy Wetherspoons type pubs were rammed but Giraffe was more or less empty so we had breakfast there. Was quite nice and much more civilised and probably about the same price because those airport pubs are ££££s weeps at past memories of close to £50 gone on a couple of shit meals and a pint each.

Original poster

TinasCrockeryPot · 06/04/2022 08:45

@ifyouturnonthelight no, the priority queue and the normal queue merge half way down the line

OP posts:

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