simon stingray

Well about 12 months ago, the airport opened a taxi/private hire holding area just off the airport where taxi's could wait for up to 1 hour without charge. The idea was they wait there until thier arriving passengers called advising that they were ready to be collected then the taxi would go into the multi storey, pick up the passenger, pay the £4.50 multi storey car park charge and leave. In & out in a couple of minutes.

Unfortunately greedy Manchester airport have now decided to charge taxis to wait in the holding area (admittedly a lower rate that the multi storey) but then expecting cab drivers to they pay again at the multi storey when collecting thier passengers.

Unsurprisingly most are no longer using the holding area but choosing to wait in the multi storey and pay just 1 parking charge.

No excuse for bad parking though.

Tiger_lily

I think it’s either Menzies or Swissport. Swissport are worse than useless. Waited 1hr 45mins for them to offload bags from a flight at MAN once.

Tiger_lily

With the exception of the bad parking, this is entirely the issue. MAG come up with a sensible solution and then ruin it by getting greedy and creating another problem somewhere else that they then come up with yet another punitive solution for. If they just kept it simple, people would use it, pay for it and then perhaps they could focus on actually solving the problems within the airport itself.

DYKWIA

Yes - Swissport used to do AY when I was a regular on the MAN-HEL route. As I was waiting once, a full EK A380 deposited its passengers and they'd all got their bags and left by the time the AY bags arrived!

Tiger_lily

That does not surprise me at all. On that particular occasion it was about 5pm and there was not a Swissport soul in sight, and even their desk in the baggage hall was deserted. Appalling service.

Mind you, there are even worse at other airports.

12939

Thanks for the explanation. I knew about the waiting area, I didn't know about them charging for it.

It's like a smaller version of what happens with the Uber pickup area in the LHR T5 MSCP. I actually have some sympathy for the drivers, the area is completely unsuitable for people waiting to be picked up. The parking spaces are on the small side for anyone who values their doors; whilst the taxi driver might be careful, the same cannot always be said for their passengers.

tuonopepper

It's what I call a character building airport....

Telecasterman

Hi, don't be influenced by flyertalk chats. Theres issues at MAN but they are all within tolerance - it can and often is a good experience.
I'd encourage anyone with issues at MAN to contact Andy Burnham direct who fronts on behalf of the 10 local authorities who own MAG - t @andyburnhamGM

CirrusDesAigles

Very grim at Manchester when going MAN-LHR-EZE and back last month in CW.

T3 is just a budget terminal and no idea why BA still use it (only terminal there that allowed airbridge access to domestic arrivals?). When is T3 being redeveloped as I know T2 is reopening next year?

The boarding process for BA flights is sub-Ryanair, no seats at the gates and queueing down the corridor even for CW.

Baggage delivery also a joke, my bag one of the first off but wife's was one of the last despite both having priority tags. Subsequently missed the pre-booked train home.

I'd use LBA but public transport connections are abysmal.

If only they'd start flying to LPL, without doubt the best and most efficient airport in the UK IMO.

alex67500

Maybe it's nice and efficient because BA don't fly there?

Tobias-UK

Not in my experience, I find LPL a dismal, soulless facility. If you find waiting in a corridor with no seats at MAN objectionable then try waiting outside in the wind and rain at LPL!

CirrusDesAigles

Never had that but always flown Easyjet from there rather than Ryanair which may have something to do with it. The terminal is no worse than T3 or T1 and arguably better as less crowded.

Liverpool is very efficient. Rarely longer than 5 mins through security and when we came back from Vilnius in the summer, we were in the car home 16 minutes after the plane hit the runway and we had baggage to collect. You'd be doing well to get under an hour at MAN.

South London Bon Viveur

Unhelpful pathetic attitude, but this is something I've heard from LHR Security as well. Thank heavens I only have to use MAN once in a blue moon. It sound like the pits.

IAN-UK

ALL escalators, lifts and moving walkways linking T1 with the station AND its platforms may be working.
It could have been a serendipitous fluke last week, so more data required before hanging out the flags.

But I wouldn't bet on T3's escalators. These things take time

DYKWIA

Had my usual good experience on Saturday at T1. Drop off to EK lounge in 10 minutes.

A funny thing happened on the way. As our EK car entered the ramp to T1 drop off, a car in front of us had stopped just at the point where the parking bays start. So, basically nobody could get through. The driver got out and went to remonstrate with a taxi driver who must have upset him somehow - some sort of minor road rage.

This lasted a couple of minutes, after which, the driver returns to his car. He then drove off, and out the other side. I would love to have seen his face when he realised he'd have to pay £3 to exit