Security, Immigration & Border Control

[KARFA]

At one time I used to use MAN more frequently ( normally term 1 or 3 ), but because of the issues you described I tend to avoid it.

pre covid it wasn't great, but it was manageable. rude security staff, inconsistent rules, and poor airport layout were a normal part of the experience of course, but i don't remember any overly long queues for security. most of my experiences were T3, with some T1 as well.

the last few months it seem MAG management have completely failed to recruit the numbers needed which has led to understaffing and long security queues. I don't know whether they haven't planned properly, or started recruiting too late, or people don't want to work at the airport because of conditions or culture - but clearly something is going on.

my concern, which is also noted by others, is how they expect to open and fully staff T3 in two weeks time when they haven't even got T1 fully staffed. or it could be T3 just provides more space to allow people to queue!

 

[A400]

They’re aware. But they can’t magically pull the amount of staff required out of thin air.

I know. I’m making a point.

 

[EGCC_MAN]

I have departed through MAN on three occasions so far this month, T2 twice and T1 once. All the security staff I encountered were pleasant, chatty and helpful. No doubt there is the occasional 'rude' one to be found somewhere if you search hard enough, but to suggest that rudeness is the default is highly misleading and wholly unfair to the staff concerned. Some here seem very keen to paint MAN in the worst possible light at every opportunity.

 

[KARFA]

...but to suggest that rudeness is the default is highly misleading and wholly unfair to the staff concerned

It really isn't

Here is another report from someone I know from last weekend:

...there was one guy outside stood where you enter Security A and he was the one calling forward specific flights to fast track them to the front and as you'd expect in an airport for a lot of people English isn't their first language and the way in which he patronised and shouted at people was disgusting, I can't recall the destination he was calling at the time but it resulted in him shouting a geography lesson back at someone along the lines of DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN in that classic British way of they don't understand so say it lounder. By the time we got close to the Fast Track barrier he was then manning that and again shouting at people that had fast track tickets (or airline access) for not having them ready to show - despite the fact at that point you were still about 15 minutes away from getting near the barrier let alone through it.

Some here seem very keen to paint MAN in the worst possible light at every opportunity.

If only MAN didn't keep providing so many opportunities to do so

 

[Seasider]

C'mon lads, I like to take part in a good debate but this is getting tedious. Let's move on and discuss something else, please!

 

[EGCC_MAN]

KARFA - You are generalising. You cite third party hearsay concerning ONE security official who you allege behaved in a rude manner. I'm telling you - from very recent personal experience - that ALL the security staff I have encountered at MAN this month have been pleasant and helpful. They are the default, not the outliers.

But don't let that get in the way of your mission to discredit MAN's staff at every opportunity. Your agenda is increasingly transparent.

 

[KARFA]

Your agenda is increasingly transparent.

My agenda

 

[LS@MAN]

I`d like to thank both KARFA and EGCC_MAN for their timely updates to my question about the security, at present, at Manchester. I agree that the big question will be when they reopen T3, will they have sufficent resources to operate its own security lines or will it still funnel everyone through T1 for this specific purpose?. I guess we won`t have too long to wait to find out. If there are any other members with personal experience, please post. Thanks in advance.

I believe Ryanair have been e mailing passengers if they have flights booked post 26th March, informing them of a Terminal change at MAN...so this would suggest T3 will open in it's entirety on 27th March.

According to various reports, there have been around 3/4 security lanes open in T1 recently, so I would expect the same in T3...if I do book a Ryanair flight from MAN, I will try and coincide it with a potential quiet time of the day...mid afternoon seems like it...

 

[LS@MAN]

Irish airport drops 100ml 'liquid rule' for cabin baggage

Shannon airport will now allow passengers to carry liquids, gels, pastes, lotions and other cosmetics in containers of any size through airport security

www.ttgmedia.com

I envy their passengers!

 

[KARFA]

Seems to be going from bad to worse at T1.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1504139016509214723

https://twitter.com/x/status/1504125921485336588

 

[Scottie Dog]

There is no excuse for this. The airport's management needs to do some serious investigating into where things are going wrong and how they plan to correct it.

I have today sent an email to one of the senior managers and will keep my fingers crossed for a constructive response.

 

[lfc84]

 

[LS@MAN]

Friends of mine are going skiing Saturday at 1pm from T1…they are arriving 3hrs prior to departure to drop off cases with EasyJet. They have 2 kids with them, will they be able to go through the family lane? I imagine this isn’t guaranteed to be quick either!

 

[marni1971]

^ beat me to it. Indefensible.

 

[Llandudno]

Todays fiasco is inexcusable, the scenes today paint a very bleak picture. There needs to be an urgent change in management at Manchester as there appears to be zero accountability. It’s a ‘there are staff shortages, not my fault mate’ and it’s not a good attribute.
From pushing out pure cargo, to the never ending ‘no divert’ NOTAM, to infrastructure projects cost cut to an inch within their lives.
but still, at least they had enough time and money to refurbish the managers offices at Olympic house.
I still maintain other airports are having issues too, but MANs seem to be more prolonged.

and for the record to address comments since my last post, and I’m leaving it after this because clearly attitudes are not going to change on here, but, I’m not denying MAN has problems, my issue is that it seems a shame very few people who show interest in Manchester when there is good news to be shared, but my goodness this thread has been very active to stick the boot in with bad news.

it would be nice to just have a bit of balance once in a while, perhaps if/when things settle down. People can’t claim to not be interested when good news is posted but suddenly become very interested when there’s bad news.

 

[marni1971]

my issue is that it seems a shame very few people who show interest in Manchester when there is good news to be shared, but my goodness this thread has been very active to stick the boot in with bad news.

I didn’t even know this thread existed until recently

 

[Statto]

it would be nice to just have a bit of balance once in a while, perhaps if/when things settle down. People can’t claim to not be interested when good news is posted but suddenly become very interested when there’s bad news.

Although I haven’t posted in this thread i have read it with interest and have been very grateful for Karfa’s posts and those of others. I will be using the airport soon and on the basis I have a 90 minute drive to the airport, largely on the ever unreliable M62, it’s invaluable to get these insights to help plan the trip.

Generally speaking, the would-be passengers of the airport are going to be interested in this kind of stuff because it directly affects them - and Manchester attracts a lot of passengers from outside of the core city region so the potential audience for this topic is large. By contrast, I imagine there is a much smaller population of people interested in the business / route development side of the airport

 

[LS@MAN]

Can someone please explain how the airport wouldn't be aware in advance of how many passengers would be arriving at certain times of the day?

I imagine the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet were also not happy, as flights were delayed...I hope the management of these airlines are speaking to MAG and expressing their dissatisfaction too!

 

[Llandudno]

.

Generally speaking, the would-be passengers of the airport are going to be interested in this kind of stuff because it directly affects them - and Manchester attracts a lot of passengers from outside of the core city region so the potential audience for this topic is large. By contrast, I imagine there is a much smaller population of people interested in the business / route development side of the airport

But 2 points to counter that argument if I may:

1) this is primarily an aviation enthusiast/workers forum and there seems to be more than enough interest about routes and such on other sub categories. But there seems to be only an uptick of posters on this subforum when there is bad news afoot.

2) yes the general population may be interested in the airport experience more, but surely knowing about where they can actually fly to via routes news is also just as productive?

 

[KARFA]

I am not clear what you want folks to do? Stop posting stuff on the horrendous queues and near breakdown at MAN? Pretend it doesn’t exist? This situation which has been building at MAN is by far the worst I have seen anywhere in the UK for a very long time. I would not be surprised if the CAA stepped in and forced MAN to restrict flight numbers to levels they can cope with - and in fact i suspect that point is fast approaching unless MAN have a load of new security officers ready to go by the Easter rush in a few weeks.

Have a look at the flight departures this afternoon, more or less everything at least an hour late presumably the airlines trying to wait for passengers and yet even then I bet many missed flights. I am sure when there is good news about security and immigration it will be posted in this thread, but for now there isn’t much good news for this thread.

As for what routes people can travel that is already covered in other threads as you note.