My sweetheart and I are off to Dublin for a long weekend in Feb. Our really cheap ($373RT) itin with Envoy on the night flight over requires killing 4 hours or so in MAN. Thus I have many questions:

Any chance standing by for an earlier flight to DUB on Aer Lingus?

Do we have to clear UK customs with our bags in MAN or would they be checked through?

Can we request they not be checked through?

If we're going to kill 4 hours in MAN what's a nice part of town to walk around and get lunch...?

If you only check-in for the fight to MAN (as far as US is taking you), then your luggage will only be tagged to there and you'll then get to go through UK customs with your stuff upon arrival (prior to checking in for the flight to DUB). Otherwise, the agent should be able to tag your bags all the way through which is what I'd recommend.

4 hours really isn't that much time to kill, and while there might not be enough time to get into the city, there is no reason not to leave the airport and walk around outside if it isn't raining (and get that UK stamp in the passport too).

Noah is right: 4 hours isn't a lot of time to kill, but there are some things in your favour.

Manchester is my current home and whenever I fly back on US Airways (as I did about 10 times last year) we are always early or on time. I am able to arrive at 08:30 and be at my office desk a couple of miles away by 09:00, even with checked luggage. The one delay I did have was when I was trying to enter the UK using my other passport (I'm a dual British-Maltese national) and I had to queue at immigration with the US passengers. British and EU/Swiss passport holders are waved straight through, but the queue for foreign nationals was sizeable. In the end it only took 10 minutes and at least my bag was waiting on the carousel.

I would be surprised if you were not out of the airport by 09:15. Note that you arrive at terminal 2, and Aer Lingus flights leave from terminal 1. Manchester is a surprisingly big airport, so you'll need a while to walk along the skywalk between terminals. You'll need to go up a level from arrivals to departures at T2 in order to access the entrance. If you are travelling in Envoy then you should get a pass to use the facilities at the Radisson SAS hotel. This might be worth doing, as it is on the way to the other terminal and is directly connected to the Skywalk.

Take a look at http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk to get your bearings.

Looking at the timetable, there seems to be an Aer Lingus/BA codeshare flight at 11:20 as well as one at 14:25. It might be worth your while trudging down to the terminal to see if they'll put you on the earlier plane. If you don't manage to get the earlier plane, and you still fancy a side-trip, try to get the airline to take your bags. If you are unable to check in, left luggage facilities are available.

Side-trip possibilities are fairly limited for such a short time. I suggest that you visit the tourist information kiosks (available in both terminals 1 and 2) to get some ideas. There is some really beautiful countryside around Manchester (Lakes, hills, the coast), but you'd never reach it in time.

You could look at doing a short city visit, but you'd pretty much have to turn around as soon as you arrive. The train (from the station between the terminals) to Manchester Picaddily is fairly regular (every 15 minutes or so) and takes under half an hour to reach Manchester. You can then jump on the tram (which is free within the city centre if you've got a train ticket) and this will enable you to get a good view of the place.

Why not head down to Victoria, exit the station and head over to the strange triangular glass building opposite. This is the Urbis museum of city living - it gives a fascinating comparative view of Manchester and city life around the world. Spend 30-60 minutes there (it doesn't do it justice, but you're in a rush).

Next exit into the nice square in front of you straight ahead is the Triangle shopping centre...you'll be able to tell from the architecture that it wasn't originally built for the designer boutiques that it currently houses, but rather for merchants to set prices and trade their wares back in the 19th century - its rejuvenation is amazing.

Perhaps visit one of the bars or restaurants in the area. Behind on the left you've got the Printworks, another mercantile exchange, this time changed into an entertainment complex (20 screen cinema + IMAX, nightclubs, restaurants, bars and coffee shops). Personally I'd rather walk past the triangle and visit either the old Wellington or Sinclair's Oyster bar....Manchester's oldest pubs, and still some of the most popular.

Further ahead you'll see huge new glass-fronted department stores: Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Harvey Nicks....this is an area of very posh shops (apart from M&S!) Further still is the wonderful Royal Exchange theatre. This whole area was largely rebuilt following the IRA bomb of the early 90s. It has given Manchester a wonderful opportunity at reinventing itself, but I wouldn't recommend terrorist activity as a primary means of urban renewal. Let me give you an example... the two pubs that I mentioned earlier (the "oldest" in town, remember) were not too far from the blast, and following the demolition of the affected buildings, were moved brick by brick to their new locations in the heart of the regenerated area. Shame the early 70s monstrosity of the Arndale shopping mall is still in evidence on the left.

Ahead to the left is St Ann's square surrounded by wonderful arcades and architecture. Further still down Cross St, beyond the designer names on King St you come to Albert Square, with the gothic splendour of the Town Hall and the neo-classical madness of the central library.....

....but enough of this frivolity. You need to get back to the airport. If you made it as far as Town Hall, you can take a tram back to Picaddily station. If you'd turned back earlier, it might be best to retrace your steps.

There are other trips that you could do, perhaps Quarry Bank Mill http://www.quarrybankmill.org.uk/ would be to your liking - a fine example of Industrial revolution technology, and right round the corner from the airport. Get a drink in "The Ship" in Styal on your way back. A taxi shouldn't cost more than about $15, but generally speaking, you'll have to pay for everything in pounds sterling as dollars are not accepted.

Sorry for going off on one, but I hope I've helped a little.

I just have to be boring and repeat that this board is absolutely incredible. Gnarly thanks for the detailed travelogue, it's excellent.

HW

Clearly there is enough to do in Manchester to fill your 4 hours, and then some.

Perhaps Air Ligus will let you take a LATER flight so you have some time in MAN -- I don't know when you need to be in Dublin.

So I got a little carried away! I'm sorry.

Anyway, I hope it helps. FTers are welcome to get in touch in they want more info. I could even meet up if you're really lost!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by gnarly:
So I got a little carried away! I'm sorry.
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Cripes man, your reply was AWESOME! Certainly no need to apologize!

One last thought!

You never know if that 4 hour layover is really going to be a 4 hour layover. You may use up 1 or 2 of those hours in delays leaving the states. It has happened a to me a few times with that long of an expected layover and it was a blessing to make the next connection.