How much would the flight have been on BA for cash, with no status? If it's higher than the LCC (which I suspect it will be), then that sort of disproves your initial point.

Unless you are saying that the LCCs should price at the lowest BA price with status...

If you value Avios at 1p, then you have
EZ Ł160 + bags (Ł46 Smart+) + lounge (Ł36+Ł30) + fast track (Ł5.50 + Ł5) + cost of taxi to MAN (Ł10) = Ł292
BA 6k Avios (Ł60) + taxes (Ł100) + cost of driving to LGW (Ł40) + cost of parking (Ł50) = Ł240

Or BA Ł60 :-)

You don't have to go through the duty free. After security there is a door directly in front, half way along the wall of windows facing the apron in security east. It is labeled with a yellow sign for the terminal transfer bus. It takes you straight into the connector to the B/C gates bringing you out right next to the Aspire Despair dungeon - and is most handy if this is where you are going - possibly the only good thing about this lounge. You can then go upstairs/lift back to the main shop/food court area (the escalator only comes down from there) or you can rejoin the normal flow of passengers downstairs to the B gates bussing lounge.

Before the more recent link to the D gates was completed, and you had to go all round the houses to get there, this route was used in the opposite direction to bring passengers back down from the shops to walk along the back wall of the security hall (artfully segregated into a corridor by a row of benches...) before disappearing into a warren of passages at the west end. This meant that D gate passengers going direct to gate were sent on a very circuitous route passing back though the security hall they had previously been in a few minutes earlier after being forced through the duty free and shops...

There is also a door at the bottom of the escalators up to duty free, straight in front before you turn right, that takes you direct into the corridor to the A gates - skipping out the upstairs shops completely. However this requires an airside pass or well timed tailgating of a convoy of wheelchairs...

Jeez - all that to save 30 seconds walking through duty free

The duty free walk is the most frustrating aspect of the process for me. This route is very busy and sadly too many families walk at a snails pace all stood side by side blocking others from making progress out of the maze.

Thanks corrected my post. They now come out about the same. Personally I would still take the direct LCC as it is less hassle.
IMO it's easy to overvalue the benefits of status. You can buy them as extras and sure it can double the sticker price, but often still for less in total than flag carriers.

Yeah - it's like some people are going into a new world "Look at all this booze!!!". I used to have an F1 style route around the T1 duty free when I used to go through regularly. Swing around the outside of the Johhny Walker whiskey and then dive down the inside of the Clarion makeup, before going through the sunglasses chicane. I could regularly save 3-5 seconds a lap

Brand new terminal and unsurprisingly MAG cut costs by not having escalators going up/down from where the jetbridge connects. You have to go up and down flights of stairs ala Ryanair in T3.

Just an additional observation, on boarding at A9, you have to go down 3 (I think) flights of stairs and a lot of people wait for the lift making boarding very slow. Given the short turnaround of flights at Manchester I can see this being an issue.

Or use the lift...

Not possible as it’s controlled by MAG.

Yes, for some it is their one holiday a year ( if that), they have worked hard for it, have saved up for it, and will have been looking forward to it, the airport duty free is not an everyday experience, and I don't begrudge them. Some may dawdle, but then again people dawdle in city centres up and down the land. I remember when flying was not a regular occurrence for me, my parents flew once in their lives and I remind myself how luck I am as often as I can.
When I see people full of excitement at being at an airport and the expectation of travel it brings back memories for me. Wonderment should always be applauded.

The criticism, if that’s what it is, is aimed at the design, not the people.

You can't criticise the design. It's doing its job perfectly