Manchester Airport pulls Terminal 3 re-opening at the last minute

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• Dani says:

  24 Mar24 March 06:10

  I’ve just cancelled my separate avios MAN to LHR connection to LHR-USA and booked the train instead… Can’t rely on security nor baggage to work at T1.

  • PeteM says:

    24 Mar24 March 12:37

    As a railway employee this is music to my ears!

• TimM says:

  24 Mar24 March 06:38

  There were 4hr+ delays through MAN T1 security last week resulting in many missed flights, despite airlines delaying departures and queues fully snaked inside the building and extending to the drop-off area outside the terminal. Good luck!

  • Lady London says:

    24 Mar24 March 10:30

    4 H O U R S Security queue at Manchester? Do airlines get rebates off the fees they pay airports due to the number of passengers who miss their flights that the airline then gets stuck with rerouting? By any commercial standards that performance level is unacceptable.

• Entitled says:

  24 Mar24 March 06:40

  Queues for T1 security have been reaching the car park recently. I wonder if the issue that they cannot quickly fix with T3 is an absence of qualified staff to work additional security scanners.

  • Lawrence says:

    24 Mar24 March 07:04

    That was my assumption. No staff to operate security

    • Nick says:

      24 Mar24 March 08:49

      This is exactly it. ‘Technical issues’ my arse, they just don’t have the staff.

      • Lady London says:

        24 Mar24 March 10:32

        I was thinking maybe they hadn’t maintained the T3 building during its long closure and so water wasn’t working or toilets blocked or something.

• NorthernLass says:

  24 Mar24 March 07:17

  Where do you stand if you miss a flight because of understaffing?
  It sounds an utter shambles, it’s apparent from regular travel through MAN and LHR over the years that cases are far more likely to be pulled out for secondary screening at MAN therefore adding to delays. If the scanners at LHR are ok with bars of soap and empty toiletry bags, why aren’t the ones at MAN?!

  • QwertyKnowsBest says:

    24 Mar24 March 08:07

    My experience too, last week and many times previously.

  • TimM says:

    24 Mar24 March 08:33

    Manchester Airports Group took away the human expertise at the scanner screen several years ago and replaced it with an unreliable AI system instead. The result is that there are a huge number of false positives. Anyone travelling cabin bags only is almost certainly to be picked out and subject to a long delays, mostly waiting for others who have been picked out to be ‘processed’.

    For the last two years+ my cabin bag has been picked out by the MAG computer for extra scrutiny every single time. Every single time, nothing has been found remotely questionable or against the rules. I complain each time. It makes no difference.

    The Manchester security staff are from the Cell Block H charm school and their presumption is of guilt.

    There are no apologies and never any indication that they may be trying to improve their systems. Manchester Airport has steadily got worse, visit by visit, since the 1970’s. It is quite an achievement to always be worse than last time over so many decades, without let up or apology.

    I look forward to the Manchester Airport Award for Customer Service awarded annually to the very worst example, although I think it would win its own award most years.

    • NorthernLass says:

      24 Mar24 March 09:01

      Over the years I’ve been pulled out for various harmless items, including, soap, hard boiled eggs and once an empty coffee mug which they said might once have contained liquid so needed swabbing 🤦‍♀️. One of the security guys once told me he didn’t believe a woman could pack a toiletry bag without putting liquids in it as he rifled through my face powder and make up brushes.
      This is one of the reasons I would consider flying LPL-DUB-across the pond once we’re not dependent on including a 241 any more.

    • Mr(s) Entitled says:

      24 Mar24 March 09:40

      In the interest of balance, there is a lot to like about Manchester. In no particular order:

      – It is well connected to public transport
      – As a regional airport, the destination list is extensive
      – Lots of onsite parking, albeit reduced currently due to covid sites and construction
      – They are investing heavily in the real estate
      – Their own lounges can be excellent (e.g 1903, Premair)
      – Lots of hotel groups have properties nearby

      Really the only negative is security. I’m at a loss why it has not been addressed given it’s impact on user experience for both customers and airlines alike.

      • CheshirePete says:

        24 Mar24 March 10:23

        It’s interesting you mention Premiair! It was the security here that informed me that my small carry on shoulder bag was being pulled over on a weekly basis as my glasses case inside was made of a material the scanner couldn’t see thru! I changed it and then no more secondaries happened after that! But normal security never ever told me this for months and months.

        • CheshirePete says:

          24 Mar24 March 10:26

          And just to add, on a weekly basis, the apparently superman proof glasses case never got pulled over on returning from T5!

      • Rob says:

        24 Mar24 March 10:30

        You forgot the Escape lounges, which are dire.

        Premiair, to be fair, is the most ambitious thing I’ve seen at any UK regional airport in recent years.

        • Mr(s) Entitled says:

          24 Mar24 March 11:00

          I disagree with this. The Escape louge in T2 is very good with lots of space, a well stocked bar, and large windows overlooking the apron. The HfP review concludes “The Escape Lounge at Manchester Airport Terminal 2 is technically the ‘entry level’ lounge but I was seriously impressed with what I found.” The Escape Lounge in T1 is also decent with lots of natural light, food and drink.

          Now the third party Aspires lounges, that is a different story. I’ve not experienced the one in T2 but if it is anything like T1, Rhys dodged a bullet.

      • Luke says:

        24 Mar24 March 11:36

        None of these really enter the equation if there are 4 hour security delays.

        Perhaps various services could be diverted to Liverpool whilst Manchester attempts to solve its self-created problems?

        • Entitled says:

          24 Mar24 March 12:26

          I completely agree which is why I think it is such a shame that what should be a good hard product is let down so badly by the human element, be it front line staff or management.

      • RJ says:

        24 Mar24 March 13:43

        Well connected unless you live nearby, ironically. I’m <2mi from the airport and an Uber cost me nearly £20 thanks to the ludicrous drop off charges!

    • John says:

      25 Mar25 March 09:13

      Sounds like my experiences with STN where a coiled up USB charging cable is enough to trigger their system. Am I the first person on the planet to roll my cables to prevent knotting?!

  • StaggerLee says:

    24 Mar24 March 13:32

    Does anyone know what happens if you do miss the flight because of the understaffing?

    I have a flight in a few weeks with a 75 min turnaround in LHR. Normally that’s fine but if I miss the flight down would BA be obliged to stick me on a later flight or on another airline?

    • Rob says:

      24 Mar24 March 14:32

      They don’t have to, but realistically they will help.

  • SP says:

    24 Mar24 March 14:01

    I’ve found that the best thing to do at MAN security is to remove pretty much the entire contents of your bag and put it in your tray as that seems to be the only way to get through without secondary screening.

• PGW says:

  24 Mar24 March 08:16

  Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…..

• ChrisP says:

  24 Mar24 March 08:34

  I had parking booked in Manchester Airport T1 for my Loganair flight so when I saw T3 was re-opening on HFP I efficiently cancelled it and made a new booking at T3. I would not have been best pleased if I would now have to re-book T1 again, but it’s now irrelevant since Loganair have cancelled my flight to Inverness, so I’m spared the queues at Manchester which, from the local news, look horrendous.

• Erico1875 says:

  24 Mar24 March 09:05

  When traveling from Scotland to avoid the high Scottish school holiday flight prices in early July we always found Liverpool to be a nice little airport.
  May be an option for those normally traveling from MAN

• Ian says:

  24 Mar24 March 09:08

  Loganair passengers aren’t bussed at Manchester, they usually depart from the gates on the link between Pier A (T3) and Pier B (T1).

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.