Manchester Airport issues passenger advice ahead of two million flying through these Easter holidays

SAM | 16th April 2019

Ahead of what is set to be a record summer for passenger numbers at Manchester Airport, and with the Easter holidays just around the corner, it is today issuing a range of advice, tips and tools to help its 28.5m customers have a smooth airport experience.

 

As well as spending £1bn to transform the airport for the future, with the first phase now open, the Northern hub has also made a raft of short-term changes, all of which are detailed here to help infrequent passengers this summer.

 

Top Three Tips To Fly Through This Summer:

 

  1. Allow plenty of time for your airport journey – getting here and getting through
  2. Be ready for security – coats off, plus liquids, gels and pastes sorted before security
  3. If driving, ensure you pre-book your parking.

 

The Easter Holidays will see almost 2 million passengers fly through the UK’s third largest airport to a range of its 210 plus global destinations. Over the Easter weekend itself more than 315,000 passengers will jet off.

 

Top Five Destinations This Easter:

 

  1. Dublin
  2. Amsterdam
  3. Dubai
  4. Tenerife
  5. Orlando

 

Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport said: “As we enter our summer season where we will see more than 20m passengers jet through Manchester Airport, we wanted to ensure everyone has the latest advice and an update on what we have done to add to the overall experience.

 

“We’re not only spending £1bn to transform Manchester Airport for the long-term, we’ve invested now in the short-term, to ensure each and every passenger can have the best possible experience no matter which of our three terminals they fly through this summer.”

 

General Tips & Advice 

 

In addition to the investment Manchester Airport has made into the customer experience, passengers too can play their part on ensuring a smooth journey through the Northern hub. This includes leaving plenty of time for their journey, not just to the airport but to get through check in, security etc.

 

Highways England has the most up to date advice on the road network, whereas National Rail can advise on the latest with trains. It is worth noting a rail timetable change will come into effect in May and passengers should plan ahead. Following on from the rail issues last summer the airport has continued to work closely with the train operating companies to ensure a smooth summer this year.

 

Once at the airport passengers can also help by being ready for security. This includes removing coats and belts etc before entering the security hall and having all of their liquids, gels and pastes in a clear plastic bag and all under 100ml. Otherwise bags can get rejected and lead to delays and queues within security. Large electronic items should also be removed from hand baggage.

 

The time passengers arrive at the airport ahead of their flight can also help the overall experience. It is worth checking with your airline but for long-haul flights three hours ahead of departure is advised and two hours for short-haul.

 

New Car Parks 

 

A trio of new car parks are set to open this Spring, which as well as creating additional capacity, will also help to alleviate congestion on the road network, due to their planned usage.

 

The first is a new multi storey car park at Terminal Two, named Terminal Two Multi-Storey West. Offering 3,800 spaces for both pre-booked and turn up passengers it opened on 1st April and the existing Terminal Two multi-storey (which was renamed Terminal Two Multi-Storey East) is now for pre-booked passengers only.

 

The ground level of this new car park is dedicated to those picking up arriving passengers and those who have not pre-booked their car parking. The remaining levels (one-eight) are dedicated to those passengers who have pre-booked a space.

 

On the same day a 6,500-space car park designed to securely store Meet and Greet cars also opened. Located not far from terminals one and three, the position of this car park will massively improve congestion on the road network and the time it takes to move cars across the campus.

 

The third car park is the new Terminal One arrivals and is set to open late Spring. This 550 space multi-level car park will increase capacity for people picking up arriving passengers. Once the new arrivals car park opens, the existing Terminal One Multi-Storey will also change to pre-booked passengers only. Whilst the build is taking place, capacity in the existing multi-storey is limited, so passengers are advised to pre-book their parking to guarantee a space. If passengers are arriving without pre-booking, (which isn’t advised) the only car park product available now is the multi-storeys, with the long stay products being removed to make way for further enhancements at the airport.

 

Passengers should also remember the pick up and drop off procedure, which changed last summer. A free drop-off option is available at Jet Parks One with a short bus ride to all three terminals. To drop off on the forecourts it costs £3 for five minutes and £4 for ten. Passengers cannot pick up on the forecourts and could be charged up to £100 if they attempt to do so. Pick-up should be done in the arrivals/multi storey car parks which are clearly signposted.

 

New signage 

 

Due to all the improvements over the last 12 months, and the road network being enhanced, the airport site might not be familiar for infrequent travellers. To combat this, new signage and wayfinding is being rolled out from June onwards, to ensure passengers can easily navigate and find their way across the site.

 

Technological Enhancements

 

As well as recently increasing its free WiFi usage for passengers, Manchester Airport is set to launch an app this June to show bus waiting times. This will allow passengers to check the status of their bus to/from the dedicated car park they are using and allow them to plan their journey to the terminals.