Security, Immigration & Border Control

[Llandudno]

This s an industry wide issue, for example:

dublin:

Dublin Airport 'chaos' as people left 'crying at the gates' over missed flights

One Dublin woman who was due to set off for a weekend in Luxemburg described the scenes as "carnage"

www.irishmirror.ie

Birmingham:

Couple's 90 minute security wait for Ryanair flight at Brum Airport

Airport bosses said recruitment was underway but will take time to get new workers in post

www.birminghammail.co.uk

Gatwick and Heathrow also have issue but less well reported. GVA is reporting meltdowns at weekends and Amsterdam is taking 2 hours to turn some Easyjet flights according to well places sources. Staffing issues are widespread and I would have expected industry workers/retirees/enthusiasts to have a bit more understanding of the issues across the board, but clearly not.

But sure, let’s just pile the hate on MAN in singularity, why change the habit of a lifetime.

 

[lfc84]

Lets just ignore the problem shall we @Llandudno because it might also be happening elsewhere

 

[KARFA]

It’s an industry wide issue, but man is clearly one of the worst.

As someone who is going through LHR on a weekly basis I can tell you that it isn’t remotely like man. I have also been through most of the other major Uk airports frequently over the last year and have yet to find one as consistently bad as man.

People are piling hate on man because it is very deserving of it.

 

[Land23R]

Lets just ignore the problem shall we @Llandudno because it might also be happening elsewhere

That's not what Llandudno was saying. It's not unreasonable to point out that Manchester is not the only airport affected by staff shortages but seems to come in for a disproportionate amount of criticism, not helped at times by shoddy journalism in the Manchester Evening News. To be fair, the latest M.E.N. report is more detailed and contains a fuller response from the airport. Incidentally, I think the report goes on to say that although firefighters were asked to help out with luggage, they refused. The problem is not being ignored given the various job fairs that have been, and are being held. However, it is worrying if these are not proving as successful as hoped bearing in mind the time to train even after new employees start.

Of course, questions need to be asked as to whether too many were made redundant to cut costs during and after furlough, whether the recruitment process was started early enough, and whether pay rates and T & Cs are competitive with other sectors in the area to entice folk back into the industry. I'm sure management at other airports as well as MAN will be reviewing action that was taken.

Meanwhile, the awful situation in Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis and the impact on fuel prices may well put a damper on customer demand and growth in aviation that was originally anticipated for this summer.

 

[IanFarquharson]

I agree it is all UK airport, I went through Heathrow T5 three weeks ago and we allowed 3 hours for our US flight.
It is a good job we did as painfully slow from check in through security etc.

 

[LS@MAN]

i have seen more reports of poor security wait times from friends over the last week, and now this where the security queue is stretching down the skylink

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1501493954906574848

i am grateful i don't have another flight departing MAN until the end of the month. the place is absolutely beyond help.

I believe this was actually the queue for TUI check in at T2 and not the security queue.
Although I’m sure the queue for security was an issue too!

I don’t personally believe anything I see written by the MEN!
Their a p**s poor outlet!

 

[lfc84]

https://twitter.com/search?q=manchester%20airport%20queues&src=typeahead_click&f=image

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1501189291556417537

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1500223672774270977

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1500728258702286854

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1500744884482887680

 

[KARFA]

I don’t personally believe anything I see written by the MEN!
Their a p**s poor outlet!

Who has mentioned the MEN?

 

[Scottie Dog]

KARFA - there have been a number of articles recently in the MEN with regards to the airport. Obviously some are correct, but a number are written by journalists who really do not deserve to be given that title - more like gutter press.

 

[Llandudno]

Lets just ignore the problem shall we @Llandudno because it might also be happening elsewhere

who said we should ignore it? All I’m saying is that there is an industry wide issue right now and MAN is just one of a few that is suffering. You can quote me as many tweets as you want, people often only comment when it goes wrong, for every bad experience, there’s probably many people that counter it by having a good/expected experience but don’t say anything.

It’s an industry wide issue, but man is clearly one of the worst.

As someone who is going through LHR on a weekly basis I can tell you that it isn’t remotely like man. I have also been through most of the other major Uk airports frequently over the last year and have yet to find one as consistently bad as man.

People are piling hate on man because it is very deserving of it.

And that’s your opinion that MAN is one of the worst. Your opinion isn’t the final say believe it or not.
And you comments about Heathrow, your comparing apples and oranges. Put the Manchester passenger demographic through Heathrow and you’ll soon see where the real problem lies, that’s all I’ll say on that one…..

 

[KARFA]

KARFA - there have been a number of articles recently in the MEN with regards to the airport. Obviously some are correct, but a number are written by journalists who really do not deserve to be given that title - more like gutter press.

I really couldn’t care less about some people’s personal vendetta to the MEN - and neither is it relevant to the clear issue at MAN which is the subject of this thread.

Anything I have posted relates to my own personal experience at man or those of people I know. The experience is pretty s*** at MAN, I don’t need to read the MEN to tell me that.

 

[KARFA]

And that’s your opinion that MAN is one of the worst. Your opinion isn’t the final say believe it or not.
And you comments about Heathrow, your comparing apples and oranges. Put the Manchester passenger demographic through Heathrow and you’ll soon see where the real problem lies, that’s all I’ll say on that one…..

Why are you so keen to excuse the very clear failures at MAN?

My opinion is based on a lot of domestic travel and use of other airports in the UK, about 150-200 domestic flights last year through the likes of LHR, MAN, NCL, ABZ, INV, GLA, EDI, BHD etc. The experience at MAN is by far the worst. If we are going to weigh up everyone’s opinion could you tell me how many flights you have taken in the last year and from which airports?

EDIT: for the record my 2021 stats of UK & dependencies used so you can see that my opinion is based on my experience:
LHR 137, MAN 72, ABZ 21, GLA 15, BHD 11, INV 11, NCL 11, LBA 10, EXT 2, LCY 2, BEB 1, EDI 1, GCI 1, IOM 1, JER 1, KOI 1, LGW 1, LPL 1, LSI 1, MME 1, SYY 1, TRE 1

 

[Llandudno]

Why are you so keen to excuse the very clear failures at MAN?

My opinion is based on a lot of domestic travel and use of other airports in the UK, about 150-200 domestic flights last year through the likes of LHR, MAN, NCL, ABZ, INV, GLA, EDI, BHD etc. The experience at MAN is by far the worst. If we are going to weigh up everyone’s opinion could you tell me how many flights you have taken in the last year and from which airports?

EDIT: for the record my 2021 stats of UK & dependencies used so you can see that my opinion is based on my experience:
LHR 137, MAN 72, ABZ 21, GLA 15, BHD 11, INV 11, NCL 11, LBA 10, EXT 2, LCY 2, BEB 1, EDI 1, GCI 1, IOM 1, JER 1, KOI 1, LGW 1, LPL 1, LSI 1, MME 1, SYY 1, TRE 1

i could also reverse the question as to why you are so keen to highlight the MAN failure's given the fact articles have been linked to show issues are affecting other airports currently, but you seem very keen to ‘twist the knife’ so to speak, when it comes to MAN. You don’t seem to have commented on BHX issues. Or DUB. Or any other airport currently experiencing issues. Funny that.

now, pre-pandemic, yes, MAN had some failures that were a few ‘own goals’, but I’ll say it again, I honestly feel you are, almost deliberately, ignoring what is a bigger issue currently, and is bigger than just MAN.

rightly, wrongly, whatever, but a lot of staff were let go at the start of the pandemic. And it’s now proving difficult to recruit staff back. And before the next dig at MAN comes in the form of ‘well maybe MAN should pay more’, look at the evidence:

swissport are chronically understaffed at MAN/BHX and LGW to name 3.
BA wants to recruit in the region of 4000 crew across its main brands, but so far has attracted less than 1500.
Easyjet are stuck at around half of the numbers they wanted.
In the USA, pilot numbers are chronically down too, to the point Alaska Airlines and United are reopening their flight schools.

so it’s not just MAN. Not all of those will be offering bare minimum pay. So what about those issues? Anything to say on those companies given the clear expertise in what are the MAN issues? No?

And this is what you are ignoring. You seem to be taking some blinkered delight that MAN is once again ‘in the headlines’, but if you are going to ignore the reasons to the current issues, then frankly that’s your issue to deal with.

and for the record, my flight tallies are lengthy. I’ve been to some great airports. And I’ve been to some terrible ones. MAN is neither top nor bottom. I do wonder if sometimes the issues are with the person themselves. I mean, if you go looking for problems, you’ll find them. And negativity breeds negativity. I bet you go to MAN with a pre-conceived negativity over MAN and thus your tolerance threshold is already lowered. Yet by the sounds of your beloved Heathrow, you probably go in with a pre-conceived positive attitude so likely don’t notice even half of the negativity that is actually present. I expect a snotty response to that, but I’ve said what I’ve said.

 

[lfc84]

Whether you love Manchester airport or not, the images circulating online give a terrible impression to anyone considering using the airport - not to mention those stuck in the queues.

 

[KARFA]

Keep digging @Llandudno

If LHR or any other airport I went to was like this I would post about it too. They just aren’t. I have provide some evidence to show my opinion is based on my own experience across a number of airports. Could you let us know your flights over the last year so we can judge what your opinion is based on?

 

[Seasider]

Llandudno, you are accusing Karfa of preconceived ideals on airport experience but from reading your posts, you are doing the same. Please accept that MAN (like other airports) has failings that are not your fault, so let go.
I will be flying thro' MAN in May - first time in over 4 years - so I will be able to offer my opinion on the airport experience then.

 

[lfc84]

I am departing from MAN T1 in 31 days

 

[EGCC_MAN]

OK. Some 'eyewitness reports' seem called for! I'll be as objective as I can.

1st March, first wave departure from MAN T2 on a TUI flight. Early morning. Security flowing smoothly. No delay to speak of. Staff friendly and chatty. No rudeness, shouting or unpleasantness (which some on here often complain about). Flight departed on schedule, boarding process well handled.

2nd March, 00:30 arrival, EasyJet flight into T1. UK Border flowing well. Encountered three staff, all of whom were friendly and helpful. Less than five minutes going through for most ... though I did better. Lady filtering the queue spotted my crutches and gave me a short-cut so I didn't have to negotiate the zig-zag lanes. No complaints from me. Big thumbs-up.

6th March, first wave departure from MAN T2 on a TUI flight. Noticeably busier than 1st March, but that was Tuesday and this is Sunday. Security was flowing well as I passed through, took about ten minutes. Staff were busy but friendly and courteous throughout. No complaints. TUI boarding gate was staffed by a gentleman who appeared to be on his own, but the flight (around 80% filled?) was boarded on time. Unfortunately, the flight did then miss its departure slot anyway due to an issue at gate. The Captain didn't specify, but delay was contained to 34 minutes. I suspect either a delay removing the airbridge or sourcing a tug, but I'm speculating here. Flight made up some time en route, arriving on stand 21 minutes behind schedule. Nothing to write home about. All fine as far as I'm concerned. Immigration queue at the arrival airport was daunting!

6th March, 23:34 arrival on stand, Ryanair flight into T1. Late Sunday evening ... I knew exactly what to expect and had a plan to cope with it! . There was no groundcrew available to chock the plane as a large number of flights had landed in sequence (mainly Ryanair and EasyJet). I disembarked the aircraft at 23:54, 20 minutes after reaching stand. The queue for UK Border stretched well down Pier C. Pier B pax from my flight walked along Pier C away from the immigration hall to join the back of the queue. I couldn't see the end of it. And more flights were arriving all the time. But as I said, I had a plan! I'm using crutches at the moment (but had not requested assistance). So I didn't join the queue immediately. I headed for the disabled respite seats, choosing a pair with a panoramic view of the main UK Border immigration hall. It was notable that the queue kept moving constantly at a slow walking pace. Thousands of passengers, yes, but speed of processing looked good. E.Gates were working; a number of staffed booths were operational (I couldn't see them all). I sat and read my phone for about half an hour, then noted the end of the queue coming into view. FR24 showed an EasyJet A320 just pulling on to stand from Paphos, so I decided to join the queue ahead of it's disembarkation. It took about 10 minutes from this point to reach the E.Gates. I encountered one staff member there, a lady who was very pleasant and helpful. Had I not chosen to take a seat till the rush passed, I'd estimate I would have been through in about 25 minutes. Next problem: no taxis! All in use, mega queue. I phoned a local private hire company instead.

I could join the mob banging their fists about the Sunday evening arrival. But seriously, what do folks expect? These agencies cannot be staffed up as if peak demand is a permanent feature ... there are long periods of the day when passenger flows are quiet. When I was there, the e.gates were functioning, a lady was present helping people to use them, staffed booths were working. The queue was never static; it kept moving. Ideally, there will be more staff available to bolster the more extended peaks we hope for in the Summer (Ukraine crisis and C-19 notwithstanding). We'll see.

Meanwhile, my next flight out is 07:25 Saturday from T1. That should be fun! I've shelled out my fiver for 'Fast Track' ... I hope that it is staffed! Homeward flight will be around midnight arriving, so I'm prepared to use the respite seats again. I'll report back.

Summary: My four transits of MAN this month have seen both quiet and extremely busy times. Staff were friendly and courteous throughout. Nobody was rude, nobody shouted. The place was busy exactly when I anticipated that it would be. No big deal. BTW, I'm a pretty frequent flyer too. Saturday will see my 1,760th and 1,761st flights all being well. So I've seen many airports too ... I've flown through 464 different ones, to be precise. I've seen better than MAN and worse than MAN. I'd rate the MAN passenger experience as around average amongst the sample I have used. It is certainly very far from the worst.

 

[lfc84]

I departed from MAN T1 last Sunday morning. I had fast track and was through in about 5 minutes. Some people from the normal queued sneaked into the fast track line. Some got caught. Some didn't.
Upon exiting security I heard people saying it had taken 25 minutes

 

[CCGE29]

Evening all,

Long time lurker here but thought I'd add some input.

Staffing is a major issue at numerous airports however MAN is feeling a large impact. A certain handling agent is practically in meltdown day in day out and cannot keep up with the number of staff leaving. On the security front, MAG are recruiting however from what I'm informed they are struggling after making so many staff redundant over the last few years has left little trust; the same can be said for many handling agents.

Aircraft are regularly arriving on stand with no one to meet them, particularly BY & FR. If this is happening on the winter schedule then god knows what will happen in a little over two weeks time.

Have heard rumors of the arrival of Blue Handling at MAN which may improve things for FR. It will be interesting to see if the 27/03 deadline is met for the re-opening of T3. Talk is that EZY will then re-locate to Check in B.

Either way, it is clearly a challenging time for airlines and agents across the airport as there are still many unknowns of how the future will look for UK aviation.