Manchester Airport to operate all flights from Terminal One from Wednesday

With England returning to a national lockdown for a minimum period of four weeks from Thursday 5 November, Manchester Airport is moving all its operations into Terminal One as of Wednesday 11 November in response to the drop in passenger numbers.

The airport is also issuing the latest advice for any passengers who still need to fly on what to expect when using the airport.

All flights to operate from Terminal One

In response to a ban on international travel that forms part of the Government’s current lockdown measures, Manchester Airport is preparing for a significant decrease in customers over the coming weeks.

With this in mind, and to ensure the best experience for those still flying, the northern hub has taken the decision to operate all flights from Terminal One only from Wednesday 11 November, until further notice.

From this date, all passengers will depart and arrive from this terminal and should not use Terminals Two and Three. Passengers returning to Manchester after this date whose vehicles are parked in the Terminal Three Multi Storey Car Park will be contacted to advise them of this change.

Government advice on foreign travel

UK Government guidance states that if you live in England, you cannot travel overseas or within the UK between Thursday 5 November and Wednesday 2 December, unless for work, education or other legally permitted reasons, and you should look to reduce the number of journeys you make. For those planning to travel into England, you should check the current travel corridor list to see whether you need to isolate for 14 days.

The UK Government continues to advise against all but essential foreign travel and ignoring this guidance may invalidate travellers’ insurance policies.

As a result of the lockdown, we expect that a number of airlines will scale back or cancel services during this period. Refunds for cancelled flights are subject to the policy of the airline.

Passengers are advised to contact their airline if they have any queries regarding service availability. They are also encouraged to thoroughly read all guidance relating to coronavirus from both the UK government and the authorities in their destination before travelling.

Retail

Due to the Government rules, most of the airport’s retail outlets will also close during the lockdown. Only the following shops will remain open;

Terminal One: Pret, Greggs, Boots, Spar (Landside); Pret, Boots, WHSmith (Airside)

Terminal Three (until Tuesday 10 November): Boots, WHSmith, Costa Coffee

Passengers may bring their own food with them, as long as it meets the security requirements around liquids, gels and paste, and are also reminded of the free water fountains available in the terminal, where empty bottles can be filled up.

Parking

Both the Terminal One and Terminal Three multi-storey car parks remain open.

The Drop & Go service will be put on hold from Wednesday 11 November, and new bookings are not being accepted.

Those who have a Drop & Go booking on or after Wednesday 11 November will have their booking transferred automatically to the Terminal Three Multi Storey car park, which is a short walk from Terminal One, and will be contacted to advise them of this change.

Passengers who have booked parking through the airport directly and who have purchased cancellation protection can cancel their booking for free, up to four hours before it is due to start. Those without cancellation protection, can cancel up to 72 hours before their booking is due to start. In both scenarios, the customer will not be entitled to a refund if their booking is cancelled with less than four hours’ notice or if the start time has already passed, so it is vitally important that they remember to cancel any car park bookings they have made, if they no longer require them.

Customers who have booked directly with MAG and wish to amend their booking can do so online or by contacting the Sales Team (lines are open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm).

Those who have booked parking through a third party and wish to amend or cancel their booking should contact their booking agent. This includes Ryanair.

Guidance for those picking up / dropping off passengers

In order to best enable social distancing and to avoid crowding, people collecting passengers are asked to wait for them in their cars, rather than coming into the terminal to greet them.

The free drop-off point, next to the JetParks 1 car park, will remain available to use.

UK Government Passenger Locator Form

All passengers arriving at Manchester Airport are required by law to complete a Passenger Locator Form for UK Border Control. Upon arrival, they will need to show either a print-out of the form or have it on their phone. A link to access the Government’s form is here: www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk

Safety Measures

The airport continues to operate a range of safety measures to keep all passengers and staff safe. These include wearing face coverings, enhanced cleaning, Perspex screens, bookable security slots and temperature checks. Details on all of the measures can be found here: www.manchesterairport.co.uk/coronavirus

The airport also encourages passengers to watch this video before coming to the airport, to ensure they are as prepared as possible.

 

 

Karen Smart, Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said: “The coronavirus pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge to our airport and to our wider industry, but we are determined to provide passengers with the best possible service in the circumstances, ensuring both their safety and comfort.

“When it became clear that England would enter a second national lockdown, we moved quickly to put an appropriate plan of action in place, which will safeguard the continued operation of our airport during these uncertain times. This includes closing Terminal Three from Wednesday 11 November until further notice.

“Changing our operation like this is not straightforward and I would like to thank our dedicated teams for their hard work in preparing for this scenario. We will keep this decision under constant review and communicate any further changes to our customers.

“I would encourage all passengers who will be travelling through Manchester Airport this month to ensure that they are familiar with all of the guidance in place, both from the UK Government and at their destination.

“Finally, I want to thank all our customers for their understanding and cooperation at this time.”

For more information see www.manchesterairport.co.uk/coronavirus.