Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
That was a good story to read actually, especially the MAN's rebuttal. The rest of the timings - well if you halved all of them it seems about right to me. I mean the idea of spending 8 minutes to get through NCL is amusing, I count on 8 minutes from short term parking to pressing the coffee machine button in the lounge. But generally the timings are about right, not least because Stansted and Luton are next in line...
I agree. I have to admit that there has been great improvement at MAN in recent times, I rarely check in bags so can't offer any contemporary experience of the check in wait, but as far as security is concerned I've been through Fast Track in a matter of minutes - but I'm usually on the 10:00, 12:00 or 15:00 ish flights. When I took the 07:00 flight a few weeks ago there was a longer wait because of a backup of bags being sent to secondary screening. I used to put it down to inexperienced travelers, many of the Ryanair and FlyBe flights depart about that time and that accounts for some of the delays.
What I do find is the greatest issue with MAN is the number of bags sent for secondary inspection. In recent months my hand luggage (with cables, headphones and power pack) is sent to secondary inspection about 80% of the time - 100% of the time when the scanning is automated (which it often is on the Fast Track lane). The same bag (whose contents are always the same) has never been sent for secondary inspection (except for randoms) at any other airport I have travelled through.
I have raised complaints with MAN and the supervisor but nothing has changed. There is clearly an issue with their automated scanner and the level of training with the human scanner. What I have noticed however is an improvement in the attitude of the security personnel, yes there is still the occasional moody one, but more and more I am seeing a more pleasant demeanour.