Full Of Common Northeners. Review on Manchester, UK (MAN) Airport

I live up north. Don’t feel to sorry for me as it’s not that bad. I have to state the fact though, so you can understand why I use this airport. As I said, I come live a h*ll of a distance from Watford gap and have done for many many years. Living in Manchester itself now means that Ringway is the obvious choice, but even when I lived at the seaside we still flew from here – something to do with the fact that my holiday / travelling requirements generally extend beyond Jersey and Gran Canaria – practically the only 2 places served by Blackpool airport. So yes, Manchester it had to be. Come next Tuesday, I will have flown to 8 or 9 countries from here, approximately 17 times in the last 11 years. Not that I travel all the time or anything, but when I do this is usually my starting point.

Next year Manchester will host the Commonwealth Games, and already things are heating up. Tickets are on sale, shops have appeared stocking the official merchandise, and volunteer requests are making the rounds. At work we’ve even been asked how many languages we speak just in case there’s a problem with any of the foreign customers who appear – after all, on your first trip to Manchester from some far off land, the first thing you’ll do is pop into Debenhams, right? Anyway, I digress. At the moment millions of travellers pass through the airport each year, and this number is expected to increase dramatically next year. Since it’s such a major international airport (second only to Heathrow in the UK) you’d expect it to have some decent facilities, and you wouldn’t be disappointed.

There are 3 terminals – Terminal 3 is for BA and domestic flights, with Terminals 1 and 2 both serving international destination for all other airlines. There are 2 main buildings (one houses 1 and 3, the other 2) connected by a skylink walkway.

Landside we have :

Terminal 1 :

I like this one – it has a wide range of shops (Thorntons, Dorothy Perkins, Virgin Megastore and specialist independent toy and cosmetic shops, as well as the ever-present Boots and WH Smiths). It’s split over tow levels with check in, passport control and the shops on the lower one, and the food court on the upper. In the food court you find Harry Ramsdens, the Covent Garden Soup Co, Garfunkels and the Donkeystone pub among other places.

Terminal 2 :

Fewer shops and fewer places to eat, I generally do not depart from here since this is more for charter than scheduled flights. Not as busy as terminal 1 but as I said, not as much to spend your money on. There is a food area but this is more like a service station than a restaurant.

Terminal 3 :

Tiny! Seriously, it boasts 2 cafes and a Boots and not much more, Luckily, T1 is just around the corner so once you’ve checked in you’re free to explore what they have on offer.

Airside :

All 3 terminals are pretty similar once you’ve passed through passport control – a hand full of cafes and some more shops including duty free jobbies.

Other facilities :

There are numerous Beaureux de Change offices throughout the terminals, along with play areas, photo booths and the like.

Layout etc :

Compared to Malpensa and Schwechert this place is a dream to find your way around. Signs are clear and accurate, and if you do get muddled staff are helpful and actually know what they’re talking about (except for BMI, but let’s not go there).

Arriving back :

Being a pretty big place it can take a while to get from your plane to baggage claim when you return which is probably why your luggage is usually there waiting for you. Passport control on your return is pretty simple so long as you don’t get stuck behind a large group of American tourists who think “EU citizens only” applies to them.

Getting there :

It really couldn’t be easier – just off the motorway, the airport has long and short stay car parks for each terminal. There is a dedicated train link to the airport’s own station, with never fewer than 2 trains an hour from Piccadilly, and busses run frequently connecting each terminal with the surrounding area.

Like I said, I don’t live in the south, so I don’t get to chose between Heathrow, Stanstead, City and Luton etc, but that doesn’t bother me. For my flying needs local little Ringway is more than adequate.