Almost 6m people set to fly through Manchester Airport’s award-winning facilities over record-breaking summer

MAN Airfiled September 29th 2023 0063

With most schools breaking up for summer on Friday, Manchester Airport is to welcome a record-breaking number of passengers over the next six weeks.

As the UK’s biggest and best-connected airport outside London, Manchester Airport will see more than 5.7m passengers flying in or out between Friday and the end of the holidays on 1 September – or more than120,000 per day.

Those passengers will benefit from the airport’s newly completed Terminal 2 and the ongoing work to improve Terminal 3 following the closure of Terminal 1 – meaning wherever people are travelling to this summer, they will get a better experience than ever at Manchester Airport.

They will get an award-winning experience with Terminal 2 recently scooping the Airport Expansion Award at the NCE Airport Awards to go alongside the UNESCO-backed Prix Versailles for architecture and design.

The summer holidays follow hot on the heels of a record-breaking June. Just more than 3m passengers travelled last month – making it the airport’s busiest June on record.

And they got a good service, with 92% waiting 10 minutes or less to get to security so they could relax in the airport’s departure lounges before their flights.

The completion of the airport’s £1.5bn transformation programme has improved the choice passengers get in its terminals.

In Terminal 2, new retailers including Coach, Reiss, Jo Malone and Tom Ford have joined designer outlets like Chanel in the Boutique Mall area.  The airport-first market hall style eating area the Great Northern Market recently opened along with the airport’s new lounge – The Executive. 

While work to expand Terminal 3 has begun and around 500 new seats have already been added through the new Sporting Chance bar, more details on the plans for further investment are coming soon.

Airport bosses have given a list of top tips and hints aimed to help passengers have a smooth and stress-free trip if they are heading away this summer – and among them is a reminder to plan ahead of they are travelling by public transport with work due to start on the tram network this week.

Jennifer Byrne-Smith, Director of Customer Operations at Manchester Airport, said:

“Here at Manchester Airport we’re proud to connect the North to the world and the summer holidays are like the World Cup to us – it’s the time of year we work towards and prepare for so that we’re match-ready as our passengers arrive.

“Over the last few years we’ve put so much work into improving every part of the passenger journey – from improvements around our car parks and drop off areas, right through the £1.3bn transformation of our state-of-the-art Terminal 2 to the work we’ve done on the airfield that is helping us offer more flights to more destinations than ever before.

“We’re all really excited to share that with passengers due to travel this summer and give them a really great start top their holidays – but we also wanted to take the chance to share a few of our top tips.

“The main one is to make sure you’ve planned your journey to the airport. There’s a bit of work happening on the tram network that could affect you if you were planning to take public transport.

“Apart from that I’d recommend people pack smart – that can save you time, effort and money. If you don’t have to check in a hold bag you can get to security and into the departure lounges in a matter of minutes after arriving at the airport – that’s especially true now thanks to our next generation scanners which mean you no longer have to unpack your electronics and liquids under 100mls.”

Manchester Airport’s top tips for travellers:

Before leaving:

·       Check the weight of your luggage before leaving for the airport. If you only need to bring down the weight of your luggage a little bit, try wearing the heaviest items of clothing in your bag – it may save you paying for extra luggage

·       To prepare your outfit for security, wear shoes that you can take off and put on easily. Avoid fiddly belts or fastenings in your clothes and excess jewellery. Try and keep your pockets empty of non-essentials

·       Temperatures aboard flights can vary so wearing a few removable layers is advised. An extra jumper can always be used as a pillow if nothing else

·       Check your luggage allowance with the airline you are flying with – the sizes vary and you don’t want to be stuck with extra luggage at check-in before your flight

·       Consider using night-before bag drop if it is available for you – your airline’s website should tell you. Many airlines allow passengers to check in hold bags the night before. You’ll be able to park for free while you do it and it beats queues in the morning when check-in is busier

·       Decorate your luggage with something very recognisable like colourful ribbons or stickers so you can easily spot your luggage on the baggage carousel. Alternatively, track your luggage with Bluetooth luggage tags

Travelling to the airport:

·       Plan your journey – remember to check for any roadworks on your route or around the airport, and plan your journey accordingly

·       The most stress-free parking to book is Meet & Greet – drive your car up next to the terminal and drop off your keys, and your car will be waiting for you when you get back

·       To avoid forgetting where you have parked, take a quick picture of your parking spot and the surrounding signs to easily locate it on your return

·       If you struggle with late night or early morning car trips to or from the airport, there are many hotels nearby and on-site, so you’ll be just minutes from each terminal

At the airport:

·       Remember that you no longer have to remove liquids under 100mls or electronics from your bags at security. But you can’t travel with liquids of more than 100mls – that can include unexpected things like children’s ‘squishy’ toys and things like snowglobes as they often contain liquids or gels. The rules say that if something is pourable or spreadable at room temperature you cannot have more than 100mls of it in your hand baggage. If in doubt – put things like squishy toys in hold baggage

·       You’ll also be asked to remove loose outer clothing like jackets and coats and metal items like belts

·       If given the choice of security lanes, pick the left. Most passengers are right handed and will subconsciously prefer the right, making the left a little quieter.

·       If you want to grab a bite to eat but are nervous your meal will take too long to be served, check to see if the restaurant has an express menu. Many airport restaurants have a menu which they will guarantee a fifteen minute maximum preparation time

·       If you have more time and prefer to relax before a flight, the airport offers lounges with unlimited Wi-Fi, a freshly prepared buffet and a complimentary bar

The airport’s £1.3bn improvement programme is wrapping up this year. It means the vast majority of passengers – everyone except for Ryanair passengers – will now use the airport’s state-of-the-art new Terminal 2, which has already won the Prix Versailles for architecture and design.

The full footprint of the new Terminal 2 is now open to the public and the final few retailers and features have been opening over the last few weeks and months. New arrivals in the departure lounge include a Fever Tree bar, the Great Northern Market food hall, a Chanel store and more.

The airport also recently announced that its first Wetherspoon’s pub – to be named the Belle Vue after the historic Manchester stadium – will open in Terminal 2 in September. 

The expansion of Terminal 2 has led to the closure of Terminal 1, the oldest part of the airport. It has also allowed work to start on a project to revamp Terminal 3, adding extra space and facilities – including the new Sporting Chance bar, which opened earlier this year.