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Excellent £99 deal for the aether private terminal at Manchester is now permanent

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aether, as regular readers may remember, is the ‘pay to use’ VIP terminal at Manchester Airport.

It originally opened in November 2019 as PremiAir. Little did we know that covid was around the corner, causing the terminal to shut before it could get established. After a closure of almost five years, the terminal re-opened its doors in November 2024 under a new name – aether.

The key thing to know is that ANYONE can use aether if they are flying on a participating airline. 

aether terminal

We ran a detailed review of aether here so we won’t repeat ourselves.

The key things to know are:

  • aether is nowhere near the main terminal and you cannot walk between them.  It was built next to the Runway Visitor Park, on land which was originally given over to plane spotters.
  • aether is located on the edge of the airfield facing the runway. It is astonishing how close you are to passing aircraft.
  • There are no shops, no takeaways and no long walks through busy crowds. You literally have your own private security and immigration channel, plus your own driver to take you to your gate.
  • aether has teamed up with Manchester chef Adam Reid to create its menus. All food is served a la carte and is cooked to order, and everything is included in your entry fee.

What is the aether £99 deal?

For the summer, aether introduced a VERY attractive £99 deal. It proved so popular that it is now a permanent part of the offering.

This is ONLY available to people travelling without checked baggage.

aether terminal manchester airport

For £99, you get:

  • Entry to aether from two hours prior to flight departure
  • One course from the Adam Reid menu
  • Two complimentary drinks
  • Private security
  • Chauffeur-driven car to your gate

You’re not getting unlimited alcohol and you’re not getting to choose from the full food and drink menu, but £99 is laughably good value – especially when compared to the standard Manchester Airport experience over in the main terminal ….

What other packages are available?

aether continues to offer its other two packages, which offer a more expansive food and drink offering and a longer stay, plus an arrivals package:

  • Inclusive with cabin baggage – for hand baggage only passengers. You pay from £179 and can arrive from three hours before departure. You have full access to the facilities including food and drink. You will clear immigration and security in aether and be driven across the airport to your gate 60 minutes before departure. 
  • Inclusive with checked baggage – as above, but your luggage is taken from you when you arrive and transferred separately to the main terminal. The cost is from £199.
  • Arrivals with cabin baggage – anyone arriving with only cabin baggage can be met at their gate and driven to aether from private immigration. The cost is £99.

You can find out more, and book, on this page of the aether website here. You’ll also find details on how you can combine it with valet parking if you are coming in your own vehicle.

Comments (79)

  • 1ATL says:

    For the arrival service the last flight arrival time is 2200. IME if you pay for the full arrival service and are flying on an airline supported for checked bags (and paying the regular price, not express) they’ll have someone retrieve your bags from baggage reclaim and bring them over to Aether for you. If using them on departure they’ll give you some smart plastic Aether bag tags for the return journey to help identify the baggage.

  • AFKAE says:

    I just had a look at the website and it was offering (up to) 20% off, with a WELCOME20 code. Thought I would try my luck and try it on the £99 offer. Gave me 10% off, so got the two of us for £178. Decided I’ll give it a go just this once.
    Flying easy to Bilbao next year for the Rugby Champions cup final.

  • Kevin says:

    Has anyone done the maths? This is no great in my opinion.

    You get no more than 60 minutes in this lounge on the £99 package as you get taken to the gate 60 minutes before but can only access 2 hours prior to flight departure!!!!

    Maximum of 60 minutes for £99, one course and two drinks, no thanks! Rip off springs to mind.

    • Throwawayname says:

      You’re not paying the £99 to be there, but to avoid being somewhere else. That’s how I always justify spending extra money and/or miles to fly in business – sharing a dormitory (not to mention the toilets) with a couple of dozen people is never going to be luxurious, you’re just paying a few hundred quid as a ransom to stay out of the borderline inhumane conditions in Y.

    • Stephen says:

      In the world of air travel, people really will pay anything to feel special…

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

      It doesn’t say you get taken to the gate 60 mins before the flight.

      It does state you should arrive at aether no later than 60 mins before the flight

      They aren’t the same thing

    • Rob says:

      Do you have any understanding of business? Can you imagine what it costs just to employ dedicated Border Force staff for 20 or so pasengers per day? Or how they get back the £1m spent on the new ‘liquids out’ scanner which is used for probably 20 bags per day? Or that it costs almost £50 to book into one of the shocking lounges in the main building?

    • titaniumostrich says:

      You clearly don’t understand “public transport”. There is a segment of society that would rather roll around in the mud with pigs than spend time in an overcrowded third-party lounge. You pay to stay well away from crowds, the bites are just an added bonus. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one for £99. These VIP rooms were once limited to general aviation, and most are very sparce. If my meeting ends early in a city with third-party lounges only, and I still have work to do, I’ll book into a Regus workspace for a few hours and only come to the airport to align with boarding time.

  • AndyGWP says:

    I know MAN gets one hell of a bashing on here but I can’t remember the last time I had any issues with security, staff, queues, or facilities.

    I always fear the worst when I read comments on here, especially during summer hols, but last week T2 was a delight

    Maybe I’m the problem? 🤔🤣

    • Throwawayname says:

      In my view, the passenger experience at MAN T2 is better than that at LHR T5*, but there are a fair few people complaining about the former and hardly anyone complaining about the latter.

      * I don’t have a view on any first class facilities at T5, I have only flown a couple of times in business class from there and oneworld status is about as useful as a chocolate teapot for my travel patterns.

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