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Original poster

Manchester airport

121 replies

Mam576 · 28/03/2022 23:25

Due to fly from Manchester airport on Thursday Mornjng with my LO and I’m so nervous about the queue times. 5 hours to get through and people missing flights! Anybody had any experience in the last couple of days?

OP posts:
Frazzled2207 · 30/03/2022 15:24

@hellcatspangle

What on earth are you supposed to do when bag drop doesn't even open until two hours before your flight and security is taking 3 hours plus?! Any ideas welcome (fast track not available)
I think most airlines are opening 3h before? If not just hope that either it's quiet or that they pull people through when their flight is boarding. Either way doesn't exactly make for a stress free travel experience does it.
AboutYouToday · 30/03/2022 16:26

We’re quite lucky because Jet2 do a twilight bag drop. So we will do the 60 minute drive the night before which hopefully will help

usernotfound0000 · 30/03/2022 16:29

I'm flying from here in May and starting to panic. I'm hoping they will have got their act together by then but I''m not confident. We fly at 6am with 2 kids so already having to get up in the middle of the night to be there the standard 2 hours before. Does anyone know what happens if you miss you flight? We have insurance but who is responsible for the cost of re-booking?

usernotfound0000 · 30/03/2022 16:32

I've just checked and there is fast track available for our date, very tempted to book it but it says not suitable if you have pushchairs. Has anyone used it with one? Tempted to book anyway and risk it Hmm

GoBackToPartyCity · 30/03/2022 16:36

We flew from T1 yesterday and it was absolutely chaotic. The queues must have been at least 2.5hrs long…thank god we bought the fast pass or we would have never made our flight. Also make sure that your liquids fit in one of their tiny bags as they’re now being quite strict on that too. I ended up having to leave some toiletries behind…and I didn’t take anything excessive with me.

Frazzled2207 · 30/03/2022 16:57

@usernotfound0000

I've just checked and there is fast track available for our date, very tempted to book it but it says not suitable if you have pushchairs. Has anyone used it with one? Tempted to book anyway and risk it Hmm
It used to be the case that if you had a pushchair you were automatically in the fast track. If that’s still true that will be why you can’t buy it. I am talking 5+ years ago tho
Frazzled2207 · 30/03/2022 17:01

@usernotfound0000

I'm flying from here in May and starting to panic. I'm hoping they will have got their act together by then but I''m not confident. We fly at 6am with 2 kids so already having to get up in the middle of the night to be there the standard 2 hours before. Does anyone know what happens if you miss you flight? We have insurance but who is responsible for the cost of re-booking?
same here. I do know that they have the first tranche of 400 new security staff starting imminently and more after that so it really should have eased. Right now with covid rates so high as well as not enough staff there are also very high covid rates which probably exacerbate everything.
BarbaraofSeville · 30/03/2022 17:31

New staff sounds good but if they're inexperienced and extra keen, they're probably double checking everything so might not speed things up just yet.

usernotfound0000 · 30/03/2022 17:51

@Frazzled2207 oh I didn't realise that about prams, I might give them a call to see if that's still the case.
We're meant to be going from T3 but it's early May so also worried that it might be postponed from opening further still.

Deadivy · 30/03/2022 22:12

Easyjet let me bag drop almost 3 hours before my flight.

Essexgirlupnorth · 30/03/2022 22:19

According to the Manchester Evening news it is to do with staffing issues. Put me booking a holiday flying from Manchester

LakeFlyPie · 30/03/2022 23:00

We're booked on morning flight on Sunday 10th April from T2
Am rather apprehensive and not sure what if anything we can do.
Have checked in online, considering twilight bag drop day before (but concerned about risk of mislaid bags) and arriving 3 hours before flight. Not sure if there's anything else we can do Confused

Essexexile · 31/03/2022 15:17

We’re flying Easyjet from Man in a couple of weeks time at 6am. Having read this thread, I’ve booked us fast track for £10 for the two of us. Hopefully it’ll live up to its name 😀

BorgQueen · 31/03/2022 17:24

Easyjet ‘may’ be considering widening the two hour window, they tweeted that they will email travellers 24hours beforehand if they do this - I guess this weekend will be the big test with the Easter school holidays starting in Manchester, not sure if other areas are too. We fly on the 16th at 06.00, apparently early mornings are the worst. I’ve checked and there at least 15 flights between 05.40 -06.20.
It would help if they put in a dedicated lane for no/very little hand luggage, I’m planning on a travel wallet only and I swear I will explode if they insist on phones in trays!

wizzler · 01/04/2022 17:23

Flew from t2 today. Arrived an hour early but there were no delays in security

BarbaraofSeville · 01/04/2022 17:48

We arrived at 4.15 this morning for a 7 am flight. It took about 45 mins to get through security but that included about 15 minutes while my bag waited for an extra search.

The reason given was that my nice, lots of pockets for good organisation Samsonite back pack had too many zips. Hmm

Just about all the others selected for the extra search had fallen foul of either the 'take all your liquids out of your bag, yes we mean all of them' rule, or 'you know when you were told several times to take your tablet out of your bag and it was displayed on all those screens and posters', this is what happens if you decide that doesn't mean you.

So was quite annoyed that I'd done everything right but had to wait behind people who couldn't follow basic instructions and also had loads of hand luggage to go through. One man had four trays, four.

But we had time for a leisurely breakfast in giraffe so I can't complain.

bluebuses · 01/04/2022 17:50

I arrived back in Manchester airport this afternoon and we flew through security with no issues at all x

Frazzled2207 · 01/04/2022 17:54

@bluebuses

I arrived back in Manchester airport this afternoon and we flew through security with no issues at all x
what security is there on arrival? I presume you mean border control - yes there have been queues there too but that's a different issue to security. Border control is at least out of the control of the airport, so they say anyway.
Mushrooms0up · 01/04/2022 17:58

My DH flew from Manchester today and was sat on the plane for over 1.5 hours as the baggage handlers hadn’t taken the bags off the plane from the previous flight….

MancunianOne · 03/04/2022 00:36

I have to use Manchester regularly (twice monthly) for work and can honestly say it is the most singularly hateful hellhole I know of. The staff are so used to the criticism now that they simply don't care.
Honestly I am looking at trains and mad connection from other airports just to get to Germany rather than go there again.

Can't decide what I hate most:

  • disinterested staff (who I have witnessed squaring up to passengers for a fight when criticised)
  • the queues
  • the laughable congested and slow security checks
  • the steps everywhere and twisty concours
  • the money grubbing fees for everything (inc the ludicrous parking costs)
runforyourdog · 03/04/2022 01:35

We flew from Liverpool today and we're worried would be a similar situation but it was dead!! Literally walked through security in minutes. Sounds awful I would not cope well!

SantaMonicaPier · 03/04/2022 08:03

Looks like it's getting even worse. In just tried to add Security Fast Track to my booking for next month and it's unavailable so seems lots of people have the same idea

DriftGames · 03/04/2022 08:29

I'm flying at 6am a week on Thursday and no fast track.. I'll have my 2.5yo with me.. Jesus I hope it's not as long as people are saying.

SantaMonicaPier · 03/04/2022 08:38

Driftgames, I managed to add fast track to an airport lounge booking so that might be worth a try if you don't mind the extra expense. They usually open at 4am

saleorbouy · 03/04/2022 08:45

I went through T3 in Nov and it took about an hour on Sunday at 1900hr.
This Sunday (1800hrs) "fast track" took 90mins and it was chaotic. 94 passengers failed to make the flight at the last call time ( flight 2200hrs) The Captain held the plane for an additional hour and many made it. Several flights did similar as it was the last leg of the day for most planes that evening.
I would advise to keep hand luggage to a minimum, and put ALL liquids into hold bags.
Make sure you're not going to get your bag rejected at the scanners as this will add 30min on, so follow the advice diligently.
Get there well in advance and take a.picture of your arrival time for travel insurance purposes so you can claim if necessary.
Manchester security has always been the worst of the several airports I travel through each year. It is now officially an abysmal experience.
Don't forget to go to the toilet before you join the queue.....Good luck!

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