Sloppy Navigation and Sloppy Organisation (Manchester Airport (MAN))

Member Name: killip

Product:	Manchester Airport (MAN)
Date:	25/09/01 (259 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Flies to many strange lands

Disadvantages: Hard to navigate, Disorganised

Unfortunately for me, Manchester Airport is a necessity. Leeds/Bradford, the best airport in my opinion, does not fly to as many places (and invariably Manchester is sufficiently cheaper for me to think it warrants a visit. I have flown from there seven times, and each time I have vowed I would never return.

Manchester Airport is massive. It has three terminals and flies to every country imaginable. The place is just too disorganised though, let me tell you.

--How to catch a plane at Manchester Airport--

So getting to the airport is easy which is one thing it has over Leeds/Bradford. It's just off a junction of the M62 and luckily the signs are pretty easy to follow. Don't let this trick you into thinking that this reflects on the airport however!

Turn up four hours earlier than the supposed take-off time and somehow find your way to your check-in desk. The check-in clerk is normally friendly enough, but will inform you that they don't yet know from which gate (and sometimes which terminal) your plane will set off from. You then proceed to the see-ing off point. This area includes many overpriced stores, such as AllSports, Thorntons, Cadbury and WHSmith, all with prices about 50% dearer than the high street.

After hanging about there for a bit, you can proceed through the gate to the duty-free area. Once again, nothing to get too excited about. There is your usual selection of stores, D&T free (which isn't to EU countries), Dixons Tax Free (again, which isn't to EU countries), and the usual airport selection such as Sock Shop. There is also a post box, which politely reminds you that letters may be searched and read and a kiddies play area, and, luckily some toilets after a dodgy scone in the canteen. After you get bored here (invariably after 5 minutes), you can proceed through customs (if you dare).

First of all you go and put your bag on the conveyor and the guard will suspect somethi
ng as innocent as loaf of bread or, shock horror, a pair of scissors (!) as an offensive instrument. He will then make you show him the contents of your bag and once you have proved that you don't have a Magnum 500 in there he may let you through the metal detector, yet another fate worse than death! It beeps on average once every two people and then you have to go through again and hopefully the alarm will not sound. After this, you can enter the departure lounge.

Now, look at the big televisions until the gate from which your plane will depart appears. Notice the delay of 30 minutes (which, may I add, later changes to 50 due to unforseen circumstances) 20 minutes after you start looking and 10 minutes after your neck starts to really hurt, laden with your bag which, of course, holds a machetti. You can then get on the escalators and go to your gate, waiting for 2 hours and 50 until your plane arrives an hour and a half later than it was supposed to (the 50 minute delay adds to itself another 40 somehow).

You can then board the plane, and, hopefully (unless you're flying with easyJet) you can be rest assured that you will get better service on the plane than in the airport!

Avoid at all costs, unless theres a few grand knocked off the price of your holiday :)

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