Manchester Airport - General Thread

[Jamman]

The roof of T1 reveals a lot of history, I certainly remember going on the roof in the late 80s/90s - I remember still seeing litter baskets on the roof of the international piers, although access had long since stopped.
During my time refreshments was from a little hut just past what was the café on the roof circled above. There was also a little visitors center for organized tours up there?

 

[marni1971]

The roof of T1 reveals a lot of history, I certainly remember going on the roof in the late 80s/90s - I remember still seeing litter baskets on the roof of the international piers, although access had long since stopped.
During my time refreshments was from a little hut just past what was the café on the roof circled above. There was also a little visitors center for organized tours up there?

If memory serves, the tour centre was in the 1970s frontage extension directly above the end of the concourse. You walked “behind” it through the undercover area, heading to pier B you’d pass the original entrance stairway doors and then the larger cafe before the drop down to pier B. If you didn’t drop down on the upper level was the little hut, which again if memory serves was eventually craned on to the roof of the MSCP to act as part of the TAS shop.

 

[marni1971]

Edit: now verified - T3 closing November 11

Manchester Airport moves all operations into Terminal One

Airport operations consolidate into Terminal One from Wednesday 11 November, with Terminal Three to close Move follows previous consolidation into two terminals on September 2, when Terminal Two was closed Passengers advised to check Government advice and speak to airlines for specific flight...

mediacentre.manchesterairport.co.uk

 

[Manchester Exile]

If memory serves, the tour centre was in the 1970s frontage extension directly above the end of the concourse. You walked “behind” it through the undercover area, heading to pier B you’d pass the original entrance stairway doors and then the larger cafe before the drop down to pier B. If you didn’t drop down on the upper level was the little hut, which again if memory serves was eventually craned on to the roof of the MSCP to act as part of the TAS shop.

Yes, the Tour Centre was in the undercover area and was operated by The Aviation Society. They had a little office in there as well as a lecture area where the tours would start and end. If you carried on past there towards pier B, you would find the TAS Aviation Shop and drinks cabin. After a couple of years, the Aviation Shop moved position by a few yards to a bigger premises. I used to work in both of those outlets. The drinks cabin was very hard work on hot summer days - there would be huge queues of people waiting to be served, so there was literally no respite. We sold Pot Noodles, microwave burgers, ice cream, etc. There wasn't actually a working cash register in there, so you had to be good at arithmetic to work out the correct price for large orders. One lad that worked there couldn't add up to save his life and used to undercharge / overcharge the lucky / unlucky punters!

The Aviation Shop was a much more relaxed workplace and that's where I spent most of my time.

The staff canteen was also up on the roof. It was accessed from the main concourse in the terminal via a stairway. Before it was the staff canteen, it used to be a fish and chip shop open to the public. I think it was called The Sky Fry.

 

[Coathanger16]

Noticed around 11am today the Qatar 787 and Pegasus were holding for quite a while. Weather didn't seem overly bad, and wasn't immediately obvious something was going on.

Any ideas?

 

[IanFarquharson]

Noticed around 11am today the Qatar 787 and Pegasus were holding for quite a while. Weather didn't seem overly bad, and wasn't immediately obvious something was going on.

Any ideas?

No fire cover !!!

 

[Land23R]

If lack of fire cover was the case, it could only have been a temporary glitch as the Pegasus showed as landing at 12.10 and the QR on time at 12.15.

 

[IanFarquharson]

If lack of fire cover was the case, it could only have been a temporary glitch as the Pegasus showed as landing at 12.10 and the QR on time at 12.15.

Both held for a while

 

[David_itl]

One social media group stated a broken down fire engine on the runway,

 

[BlueManc]

Airfields busier than Manchester?

It's bleak out there!

I'll start.

Cranwell
Shawbury

 

[IanFarquharson]

Manchester is doing very well compared to the likes of Gatwick - dont knock it !

 

[Scottie Dog]

Let's work off data supplied by the CAA for 60 airfields in the UK - the latest is for September's movements and Manchester was in 6th place:

HEATHROW	14,705
STANSTED	8,824
GLOUCESTERSHIRE	7,663
GATWICK	7,488
LUTON	7,463
MANCHESTER	6,785

Admittedly the figures back in May were far worse when Manchester was 13th busiest

.	May-20
HEATHROW	6,917
EAST MIDLANDS INTERNATIONAL	2,807
STANSTED	1,898
NEWQUAY	1,889
BIGGIN HILL	1,370
GLOUCESTERSHIRE	1,300
LUTON	1,282
NORWICH	1,273
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL	1,183
BLACKPOOL	1,091
BOURNEMOUTH	901
LIVERPOOL (JOHN LENNON)	736
MANCHESTER	725

 

[Scottie Dog]

Courtesy of heli.lamb on instagram.com:

Heli pilot based in NW England on Instagram: "Not much going on @manairportuk at the moment. Nice easy transit the other day and only 1 other movement on frequency - @ryanair taxing out. . . . . . #instaaviation #instahelicopter #lockdown2020 #lockdo

21 likes, 1 comments - heli.lamb on November 10, 2020: "Not much going on @manairportuk at the moment. Nice easy transit the other day and only 1 other movement on frequency - @ryanair taxing out. . . . . . #instaaviation #instahelicopter #lockdown2020 #lockdownaviation #manchesterairport...

www.instagram.com

 

[LS@MAN]

Flew out on this morning’s delayed KLM flight to AMS to catch a connecting flight.
Flight departed stand at 6.45 instead of 5.55, due to “operational issues during check in, security & boarding and lack of staff” according to the captain, who understandably sounded hacked off! Like I was who had to catch a connecting flight.

I noticed 3 Ryanair flights also delayed. The Qatar wasn’t departing until around 7.25 but during security I noticed a lot of the QR flight passengers going through.
It’s understandable that staff levels are low across all areas of the airport and I don’t know how much control MAN/MAG has over the ground handling companies staff levels during each turnaround, but baggage was still being loaded at 6.40. Although it sounded like the “lack of staff” problems was more within the terminal. I passed through security at 4.30 with 2 lanes open and it was relatively quiet then.
I felt sorry for the lady from Stobart on her own during boarding at gate 27. Lots of boarding passes rejected by the scanner and another queue had to be formed to re-check passports (unknown as to why).

Each time this happens to a flight I’m on, it seems to be departing from T1, coincidence maybe, but all the times I’ve departed T3 with KLM/AF/FR at different times of the day, I’ve never had as many problems for departing flights, arrivals a different story yes.
I noticed in T3 boarding seems to start earlier.
Yes we are in exceptional and challenging times and cost has been driven down, but I do hope KLM’s operations centre inform MAN/MAG of this delay this morning, due to a number of passengers missing connecting flights (thankfully not myself though).

Maybe it is T1, maybe it’s a bad day due to high staff sickness/shortage, whatever the reason(s) I hope in time when T2X opens and certain carriers make the move, things are improved.
But for the time being and into the short-medium term, unfortunately I can’t see piers B & C leaving us...

Stay safe everyone.

 

[Land23R]

Looking back over 7 days, you seem to have been unlucky.
According to FR24, the ATD from today back to last Thursday has been:
06.52; 06.22; 06.04; 06.06; 06.05; 06.02; 06.14.

You mentioned 06.45 off stand, so are the above airborne times?

 

[Coathanger16]

Looking back over 7 days, you seem to have been unlucky.
According to FR24, the ATD from today back to last Thursday has been:
06.52; 06.22; 06.04; 06.06; 06.05; 06.02; 06.14.

You mentioned 06.45 off stand, so are the above airborne times?

Flightradar times will be airborne and touchdown times.

 

[LS@MAN]

Looking back over 7 days, you seem to have been unlucky.
According to FR24, the ATD from today back to last Thursday has been:
06.52; 06.22; 06.04; 06.06; 06.05; 06.02; 06.14.

You mentioned 06.45 off stand, so are the above airborne times?

Yes, the 6:52 this morning was the airborne time.
Passengers destined for the Krakow flight missed their connection...luckily I caught mine...there was lots of talking going on between the ground staff and crew prior to boarding, I sensed something wasn't right...but I'm sure the pilot's explanation was correct. I hope KLM have informed MAN/MAG of this inconvenience.

 

[Seasider]

I would have been happy that I got a flight and made the connection in these difficult times.

 

[LS@MAN]

Reading some posts on other forums ref the possible future integration of T1/T3 as one terminal. A suggestion was made in extending the current T3 security area into the current T3 check in area (ex Flybe and current BA areas). Keeping T1 for check in and having the security in the current T3.
I don't know how feasible it would be to perform this extension in T3 security, however, if we do have one large terminal in the future for the likes of EZY/FR (and possibly W6), then T1 check in will not suffice in my view.
Only this week with EZY back flying from T1, the Ryanair flights, early morning KLM (and some mornings AF & LH) and the daily morning QR flight, this area is pretty busy. I remember only last summer how busy and crowded it can get. But if T3 security is extended, could T1 check in be as well, where the security area is now and maybe beyond?

I'm not that familiar with the airport structure and what lies behind the many walls and low ceilings...I'm sure someone with more knowledge can expand and provide a more realistic opinion.

 

[Jerry]

A lot of EZY Ryanair and Wizz check in is all done online now and they use self bag drop facilities so the check in area might suffice?