Jetstreamer

For the past 2 Fridays I have taken a flight to LHR from MAN T3 departing around 11am (this week BA, last week BD) and following the move of BD long haul flights to T3 it is absolute chaos. This week I arrived at the airport early (at around 9.15) and the scene was a complete joke. The transatlantic check-in queue extended up past the sales desk to encroach on the domestic check-in area, some extremely p!ssed off Americans couldn't figure out how to get to the single business class desk (there really was no way through) and there were generally a lot of unhappy people. The problem is they simply haven't got enough check-in desks to handle 2 A330 loads of people departing within an hour of each other and it reflects very badly on both the airline and the airport. I can see why they moved to T3 to have all ops under one roof but there just isn't room there. Meanwhile in T1 there are now a bank of unused check-in desks.

The other problem at T3 is the security lines and I'm sure that regular BA pax aren't too pleased about this either. This situation can't go on IMO and something's gotta give. The obvious solution would be to move bmi baby back to T1 thus giving BD the extra desks it needs.

Sorry, I just fancied a rant but it does reflect badly on BD. Anyone else experienced this chaos recently?

byoni

When does the Air Canada flight start back from Manchester to Toronto (or has it already).

I understand that is going from T3 as well! I assume BMI will be handling it under Star Alliance, should makes the queues even more fun!

Jetstreamer

This started yesterday (saturday), although it operates from T1. Definately no more room in T3.

jamespvg

Shame -- the GG/Servisair handling is pretty poor. Would have been nice to have BD handle it. Although, I wouldn't go near this flight with a barge pole anyway.

aisle seat c

BD use exactly the same nuber of check in desks (8) including a single Business desk and 2 Premium Ecomomy desks to check in the longhaul flights from T3 as they did when they were in T3, that set up is no different. The problem is the area is very narrow, thus making the queues look longer than they perhaps did when BD used T1 (thy could get quite long over there too!)

Jetstreamer

Those 8 include the ones decicated to bmibaby. I'm pretty sure BD only have 5 for international. I will have to count next time I'm there! There was definately only 1 PE and 1 business desk though. In T1 there were 2 for business.

salmim

just wonder what the arrivals hall and baggage reclaim are going to be like?? will they cope with these extra long haul services?

thegoderic

There is another tweak in the daily chaos that really helps speed things up.

Queing for the pre-boarding security check, someone asked for my passport, took it to the side and checked against something on a laptop (presumably a manifest). Five yards (and twenty minutes) later, another security person demanded to see a printed itinerary. When I told him I didn't have one he told me to go and get one from the ticket desk. I negotiated into having him look at the confirmation email on my laptop.

All in all very frustrating for me, and also the other poor sods in the queue behind.

I appreciate that they are limited for desks, but stupidity like this does make you want to use another airline.

jbfield

Were you on a transatlantic flight? I've experienced the same but when I collected my boarding cards I was also supplied a copy of my itinerary on an additional boarding card (like the usual paper ticket receipts one gets) which fortunately the security person spotted and saved me from delving into my bag.

A word of warning to pax connecting to transatlantic flights in MAN.
Normally when you check-in at MAN you get given arrival cards for US immigration.
Secondly you get asked specific passenger information, which if you don't supply you end up being asked again at the gate (you have to queue up again at the gate to do this).

But, transfer pax don't seem to be asked this information, at least, not in my experience. I'd recommend, if you're not asked and if possible, try to supply this information when you initially check in or at the lounge (if this is actually possible). Otherwise just as you think you're going to be escorted from the MAN lounge to the gate along with the C pax, you find you have to make your own way, ending up being left to fend for yourself from the back of a long queue (possibly merged with a second queue for the neighbouring AA flight to the same destination) as you watch the escorted pax skip this and board!

Boddingtons

If you thought T3 was bad....try coping with T1!

I recently walked through the T1 area having arrived in from ORD on the way to the train station.

The TWO security lines went almost out of the building!

Im dreading my SQ flight from T2 next week

rpjepson

It all sounds wonderful. Can I check in at the PE/business desks if I am star gold on UA?

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

If you are *Gold then you can check in at the business counters ( even if you are travelling in Y)

Regards

TBS