Lounge at Manchester T1 - Disgrace

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Nov 28, 2022, 12:55 am

#166

oliver2002

Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources

Join Date: Dec 2002

Location: MUC

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Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyerLX

whichever third world outfit that runs these lounges (the BHX lounge is crap too)

'Aspire' is the lounge product operated by Swissport

https://www.swissport.com/en/our-ser...ge-hospitality

Somehow the Swissport management lost the plot there... (not only in BHX & MAN, but HEL also comes to mind)

chris63 likes this.

Nov 28, 2022, 4:51 am

#167

roberino

Join Date: Nov 2008

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The coffee machine makes disgusting coffee. The bread cakes on the breakfast buffet are dry. The pastries are always soggy. The beers are never cold. There’s always someone wrangling childebeest in the quiet zone. The list goes on.

Maestro Ramen likes this.

Nov 28, 2022, 6:32 am

#168

Fabo.sk

Join Date: Jul 2015

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Quote:

Originally Posted by oliver2002

'Aspire' is the lounge product operated by Swissport

https://www.swissport.com/en/our-ser...ge-hospitality

Somehow the Swissport management lost the plot there... (not only in BHX & MAN, but HEL also comes to mind)

I have yet to visit one that is worth a note. As far as I am concerned, Aspire is short for "Aspires to be a lounge when it grows up".

chris63 likes this.

Nov 28, 2022, 7:59 am

#169

chris63

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Quote:

Originally Posted by roberino

Yes but at least they provide a consistent experience

roberino likes this.

Nov 28, 2022, 8:13 am

#170

AlicorporateUK

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: SJJ/AMS

Posts: 4,647

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris63

One would have to pray for overcrowding & being moved almost anywhere else….. at MAN, EK lounge…. dream on.

Oh yes, however I normally approach the issue with a different mindset, meaning that whenever I am at either MAN or BHX I rejoice at the opportunity to embrace the vintage/nostalgia experience offered by both airports...

chris63 likes this.

Nov 28, 2022, 8:26 am

#171

chris63

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Quote:

Originally Posted by AlicorporateUK

Good approach, now if they only served something Vintage at the Bar, instead of seemingly past its sell by date.

AlicorporateUK likes this.

Nov 28, 2022, 11:45 am

#172

roberino

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There’s a great article on how the middle classes have ruined airport lounges in the Telegraph (sadly behind a paywall). Made me chuckle.

Nov 28, 2022, 11:47 am

#173

roberino

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Quote:

Originally Posted by AlicorporateUK

Sort of poverty-porn in airport lounges? I can imagine public school leavers visiting as many provincial airport lounges as possible on their gap yah…

Nov 28, 2022, 11:55 am

#174

Silver Fox

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Quote:

Originally Posted by roberino

There’s a great article on how the middle classes have ruined airport lounges in the Telegraph (sadly behind a paywall). Made me chuckle.

Telegraph is not really a paywall, and this is but one way to defeat it with a 12 foot ladder.

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%...ort-lounges%2F

Nov 28, 2022, 11:59 am

#175

AlicorporateUK

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: SJJ/AMS

Posts: 4,647

Quote:

Originally Posted by roberino

Sort of poverty-porn in airport lounges? I can imagine public school leavers visiting as many provincial airport lounges as possible on their gap yah…

Nah, much simpler than that: I grew-up roughly 30 miles north of MAN, the airport is still the same as back in those days, that's the vintage/nostalgia explained for you.

G

chris63 likes this.

Nov 28, 2022, 12:05 pm

#176

FlyerLX

Join Date: Aug 2011

Programs: Star Alliance Gold, Oneworld Silver

Posts: 778

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fabo.sk

Aspire is short for "Aspires to be a lounge when it grows up".

Cleans up, more like...

Nov 28, 2022, 12:56 pm

#177

roberino

Join Date: Nov 2008

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Quote:

Originally Posted by AlicorporateUK

Nah, much simpler than that: I grew-up roughly 30 miles north of MAN, the airport is still the same as back in those days, that's the vintage/nostalgia explained for you.

G

I grew up in Stockport. As a kid it never occured to me that the airport was a hole but as someone that needs to use an airport most weeks for professional purposes it's really highlighted everything that's just awful with it. I've managed to switch a lot of my travel to BHX and EMA because the current situation at MAN T1 is a literal risk to my travel plans.

chris63 and Silver Fox like this.

Nov 28, 2022, 1:16 pm

#178

AlicorporateUK

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: SJJ/AMS

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Quote:

Originally Posted by roberino

as someone that needs to use an airport most weeks for professional purposes it's really highlighted everything that's just awful with it. I've managed to switch a lot of my travel to BHX and EMA because the current situation at MAN T1 is a literal risk to my travel plans.

Agreed. Apart from the summer months, BHX (whilst still "vintage", needless to say) is not a bad airport, there are times (often) when I would even skip the lounge/main waiting area altogether and head to the far end of the "Eurohub" (or "North Terminal", to make it sound like I'm talking of a major hub...), take a seat near gate 54, good-old complimentary newspaper and rejoice at the view of planes taking-off/landing.

On the other hand, though, I guess MAN has suffered way more than its "counterpart" in the Midlands from the significant increase in traffic and dated/decrepit infrastructure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roberino

I grew up in Stockport.

I lived in East Lancashire (far end of the M65), virtually not far from LBA either, but used to avoid crossing the border with Yorkshire (except when following the mighty Rovers, that is)...

Nov 28, 2022, 1:30 pm

#179

roberino

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Quote:

Originally Posted by AlicorporateUK

I lived in East Lancashire (far end of the M65), virtually not far from LBA either, but used to avoid crossing the border with Yorkshire (except when following the mighty Rovers, that is)...

I crossed the border permanently! South Yorkshire now.

AlicorporateUK likes this.

Nov 29, 2022, 6:33 pm

#180

Maestro Ramen

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For what it's worth Aspire BHX saves the "quiet zone" - the soft seats near the entrance that are only half manky - for J and status passengers, so you do get (slightly) better service than the paying or PP customer.

I was actually impressed by last visit to man T1 Aspire, it was unusually clean. Was 5AM, mind.