Manchester Airport’s private terminal is BACK – and the pricing is reasonable

If you told people that, for a handful of months before the pandemic, Manchester Airport operated a private terminal where you could escape the crowds and be chauffeur driven to your aircraft, I doubt they’d believe you.

They certainly wouldn’t believe that it cost (relatively speaking, compared to £3,630 for The Windsor Suite at Heathrow) very little money.

But it did. And four years later, it’s back. The doors open on 4th November.

HfP exclusively broke this story back in February, and I’ve been invited to see the new set-up in two weeks.

The website for the new terminal is here. Bookings open in early June.

New era, new name

The first thing you need to know is that the private terminal has a new name. The PremiAir branding has gone. The new name is aether.

(No, me neither.)

The key thing you need to know is that ANYONE can use aether if they are flying without checked baggage. If you do have checked bags, you need to be flying with a participating airline – British Airways IS participating.

It isn’t just for the super-rich.  Fees start at just £90. Yes, you can use a private terminal and be driven to your aircraft for under £100. Many people will find that a modest price to pay to escape the nightmare that is the main terminal complex at Manchester.

Where is aether?

The good news, for those keen to see as little of the main airport as possible, is that aether is nowhere near the main terminal.  It was built next to the Runway Visitor Park, on a piece of land which was originally given over to plane spotters. 

Here is a picture from my pre-covid visit:

I was the only person booked in that day.  I had the entire terminal to myself for the 90 minutes I was there, which was certainly a novelty.

The set-up is likely to be different now, but I will tell you what it was like back in late 2019.

There isn’t much to explain.  The very friendly reception team checked you off, confirmed that your ID was in order and that there was no reason, eg customs declarations, why you might need to go back to the main terminal.

As the main lounge is literally on the edge of an active taxiway, you had aircraft passing within 100 feet of the windows every couple of minutes.

It is a long thin space dominated by floor to ceiling windows on one side.

This was very much ‘stealth wealth’ territory.  If you were looking for Cristal on tap then you were very much in the wrong place. Apart from a selection of pastries and cookies which are out on display, all food was cooked to order from a menu.

aether will have a high profile chef

Forget your BaxterStorey-catered British Airways lounge buffet here.

The menu at aether has been created by Mancunian Adam Reid, Chef Patron of Adam Reid at The French. This is the restaurant inside The Midland Hotel in Manchester.

The transfer to the plane will now be with BMW

This was the cool bit.  When my British Airways flight back to London was ready for boarding, the staff came over and took me to a car.

Under a deal with BMW, aether will be solely using BMW vehicles for its transfers. You will get either a BMW i7 (featuring a 32-inch TV screen), a six or seven seater BMW X7 or a BMW XM.

You go through a door where there is passport control and security screening.  It was the first time in my life that I have been greeted by name by a security screener!

I hopped into the car and off we went:

Terminal 3 was a long way from PremiAir, which was great because I got a full drive around the airfield.  It seems that not all aircraft gates have easy access for car passengers from the apron.  In my case, we parked up at Gate 49 which was the most convenient.  The two staff and I went into the terminal, up to Departures, and then did the 45 second walk across to Gate 135 which BA was using that day.

I was Group 1 boarding anyway, but the staff took me to the front of the line and told the agents at the gate to let me go first.

What will aether cost?

There will be three options for departing passengers and two for arriving passengers.

It’s worth noting that we saw quite a bit of discounting back in 2019 so the prices below are not necessarily what you will pay.

Here are your options if you are flying from Manchester:

• Express: from £90 per person if you have hand luggage only, and includes complimentary light refreshments. You can arrive up to 75 minutes before departure and must arrive at least 60 minutes before departure – a strangely tight window!

• Inclusive with cabin bags: from £150 per person if you have hand luggage only and want the full a la carte dining experience. You can arrive up to three hours before departure and must arrive at least 60 minutes before departure.

• Inclusive with checked bags: from £170 per person if you have checked luggage, including the full a la carte dining experience. You can arrive up to three hours before departure and must arrive at least two hours before departure. Your bags will be taken across to the main terminal for you.

The checked bag option is currently only available if you are flying with British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Hainan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, SAS and Virgin Atlantic. Qatar Airways is a notable exception.

On top of the pricing above, private suites can be booked for your group at an additional charge.

Children under 2 are free but older children are charged.

You can bring guests into aether with you who will not be travelling for a charge.

Parking packages will also be available. You can drive up to the terminal and hand over your keys, with your car being moved to a secure site whilst you are away. On your return you can pick it up at aether or at your terminal.

Flying into Manchester?

If you are arriving into Manchester, the two ‘inclusive’ options are available to you.

This sounds very attractive. You will be chauffeured from your aircraft to the private terminal and pass through a private passport control service. You can then enjoy the facilities in aether whilst waiting for your checked baggage to be delivered to you.

aether will be open from 4am to 10pm daily. Your flight needs to depart after 6am if you are on the ‘Inclusive’ package and after 5am for the ‘Express’ service.

Conclusion

I was very impressed by PremiAir back in 2019.  Given how painful the main terminal at Manchester Airport can be, I hope it can properly find its feet after it reopens.

As the pricing is per person, it clearly isn’t aimed at the mass family market – although there are plenty of people in the airport catchment area who will be happy to pay.  The main market is going to be corporate travellers (for whom paying £150 is a bargain if they can get more work done than they could do in the terminal) and the airlines.

What PremiAir never managed was to secure a scheduled airline to use it for its long haul passengers. If Qatar Airways, for example, was willing to use it for full fare Business Class passengers it would be a real talking point. Hopefully aether can have more success here.

As I said at the top, I am up in Manchester to see aether in two weeks – look out for that report.

You can find out more on the aether website here.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (March 2025)

Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here.

You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.