Lounge at Manchester T1 - Disgrace
#16
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,501
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 16,965
Perhaps I've been fortunate, but the times i've used the lounge it's been borderline OK. Luxury living, it ain't. But I've always managed to get a coffee and find somewhere to sit.
But I can see things will get stretched if they don't operate stricter capacity control at peak times for holiday flights. The airlines sending CIPs to the lounge should insist that these controls are at sensible levels, and are implemented properly.
The tension, of course, is that capacity control means forgoing revenue; and many of the airlines have very limited presence at the airport.
Looking for faint praise, at least I can see aircraft from the lounge.
It annoys me that a business-class lounge doesn't have a printer guests can use; and i was irritated the lounge Goddess couldn't lend me her paper-cutting (blunted) scissors for health and safety reasons.
But the lounge simply reflects the third tier aspirations of Manchester International airport. Last week it was the turn of the escalators from T1 arrivals to the station walkway to be out of order. Followed by two sections of the moving walkway to the station out of service. Flags will be out on days all sections are working.
They're pretty slick at gouging extra cash from passengers, but have pretty low priorities when it comes to customer service.
But I can see things will get stretched if they don't operate stricter capacity control at peak times for holiday flights. The airlines sending CIPs to the lounge should insist that these controls are at sensible levels, and are implemented properly.
The tension, of course, is that capacity control means forgoing revenue; and many of the airlines have very limited presence at the airport.
Looking for faint praise, at least I can see aircraft from the lounge.
It annoys me that a business-class lounge doesn't have a printer guests can use; and i was irritated the lounge Goddess couldn't lend me her paper-cutting (blunted) scissors for health and safety reasons.
But the lounge simply reflects the third tier aspirations of Manchester International airport. Last week it was the turn of the escalators from T1 arrivals to the station walkway to be out of order. Followed by two sections of the moving walkway to the station out of service. Flags will be out on days all sections are working.
They're pretty slick at gouging extra cash from passengers, but have pretty low priorities when it comes to customer service.
Last edited by IAN-UK; Oct 12, 2018 at 10:59 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,440
It's certainly bad, but at least it has bathrooms in the lounge and a more quiet area to the left of the entrance. As long as one does not want to eat or drink anything there, it is usually OK to wait for departure. I totally agree on the long way to the LH gates, though.
#19
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,001
Swissport/Aspire lounges are no TK/QR pleasure temples: their basic purpose is to provide lounge space for airlines don't see the need to operate a full service lounge for the relatively few flights to that airport. For the 10-20$ they charge airlines (and others) to enter the service offerings are usually very very basic. But it seems airlines are OK with that service level for some reason.
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: UK
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 58
#22
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,758
The hot tip for MAN lounges is the 1903 Lounge, apparently an upmarket lounge compared to the competition. It is twice the entrance fee so likely less Spain bound LCC customers drinking the price of their lounge fee. Air France and KLM have contracted the one in T3. Perhaps this is the new lounge strategy, make them so bad that customers/airlines are willing to pay more?
#26
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: GVA
Programs: A3 *G, LX *G, AF *S
Posts: 760
#27
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: BRU-ZRH
Programs: LX HON, BA Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 763
Fully agree with TS, the lounge is an absolute disgrace. I spent a few hours there a few weeks back to get some work done.
The coffee is absolutely undrinkable, the food is on the verge of disgusting and dirty plates and cutlery are easily left standing for over an hour, if they are picked up at all.
I just don't bother going into these kind of lounges anymore and rather have a coffee or a beer in a regular caf or bar and actually enjoy it.
The coffee is absolutely undrinkable, the food is on the verge of disgusting and dirty plates and cutlery are easily left standing for over an hour, if they are picked up at all.
I just don't bother going into these kind of lounges anymore and rather have a coffee or a beer in a regular caf or bar and actually enjoy it.
#28
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 182
In the last few years Manchester airport has become a real bear pit and using it to travel regularly for business has become a nightmare, the business lounge however is at another (lower) level altogether. . . . I will honestly say that this lounge is the worst I have ever seen in Europe. It is not an LH lounge but I assume they pay for for access and so therefore have the right to check the standard that is being offered to their premium passengers. In short, if you can I would advise to avoid Manchester airport in general and the aspire lounge at all costs.
Admittedly we were there at what was presumably a peak time for leisure travel (Friday afternoon, along with lots of groups of football fans and stag/hen parties), but the deficiencies of the airport were not only ascribable to that peak timing. Externally, the road signage is poor around the airport (on a par with EWR and BOS, whereas typically UK road signage is very much superior to standards in much of the US). Internal terminal signage was equally deficient, at least in T3. And the common rental car facility -- while a big improvement from the former cramped rental car lots on the terminal roofs -- is so poorly designed that the shuttle buses queuing to pick up passengers block the access for returning rental vehicles. Add the miserably poor lounge facilities, and "the pits" would be a good way to describe our 2017 experience. I'll be looking to avoid MAN if at all possible on the next visit to the north of England.