Manchester: Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

[KARFA]

Tbf I think other airports are getting the publicity, hence why @Land23R has found such reports and linked to them.

In terms of the MEN, it is not surprising it focuses on MAN of course.

Whilst issues do clearly exist elsewhere, I don't buy that

a) MAN is no worse than anywhere else, and
b) the national media is picking on MAN.

I don't think either is true. This has been ongoing at MAN for months now with little end in sight - they are clearly struggling to recruit people, and are stuck in a vicious cycle, after all would you want to work in security at MAN even if they offered more than the advertised £12ph? Despite planning for months to reopen T3, they can't actually staff security so are stuck having to use T1 check in and security for all T1 and T3 departing passengers.

There have been several first hand reports from former staff now of poor work conditions, poor culture at MAN, and many people just leaving and finding less stressful jobs elsewhere. Add to this the well known historic issues at MAN which most regular users are aware of - rude staff and high levels of secondaries due to either poor training or poor equipment - and you can see why MAN is in a worse position than most UK airport. Just look at the comments on social media when each of these stories about MAN comes out recently, not just passengers but many flight and cabin crew who operate at the airport consistently describe it as one of the worst airports they use in particular with regard to security.

I don't think some have realised how poor the airport's reputation is up to now, and simply trying to deploy the old ostrich strategy or say everywhere else is just as bad. I really hope that management at MAN radically changes because until the culture changes from the top down, nothing will change on the shop floor.

I want this airport to be better than it is now, and actually better than it was before covid.

 

[Coathanger16]

only reigns at Manchester Airport

Don't think anyone's said its only Manchester...?

only want to publicise the problems here

This is the Manchester thread...I would be surprised to see reports about queues at Manchester on the Birmingham thread, so why would other airports feature here?

Yes it is an issue affecting airports other than Manchester, however I suspect at London airports people kind of expect it because its London airports, and at other airports, problems are less frequent or not as big so they don't get any traction in the MSM.

A woman at BHX complained that it took 2 hours from arrival on stand to get out of the airport. Whilst clearly not great, there's been instances in the past the world over where passengers have been stuck on aircraft for longer than that. It doesn't excuse the issue, but puts a 40 minute wait on an aircraft into perspective.

Given 2 years of passenger levels being down to 10% of normal, several false re-starts and very little support from the government, no one should really be surprised we're in the situation that we are.

 

[marni1971]

Karen Smart, MD MAG, has stood down (Says the MEN)

That’s a start.

 

[KARFA]

Posted today from the CEO

A message from MAG CEO, Charlie Cornish

First and foremost, I want to say that I understand passengers’ frustrations with the queues and congestion they’ve experienced in recent weeks, and I apologise to anyone who has been affected by the disruption.We are committed to getting customers away on their trips, especially as we know many...

mediacentre.manchesterairport.co.uk

A message from MAG CEO, Charlie Cornish​

First and foremost, I want to say that I understand passengers’ frustrations with the queues and congestion they’ve experienced in recent weeks, and I apologise to anyone who has been affected by the disruption.

We are committed to getting customers away on their trips, especially as we know many have waited such a long time to get back to travelling internationally. Having endured the worst crisis in our 84-year history, I can assure you that there is no one more pleased to see passengers back in our terminals than we are.

The UK aviation sector is now recovering quickly but for most of the last two years we have effectively been in survival mode. When the pandemic struck, we were faced with almost no income and huge fixed costs. Doing nothing was not an option. We had to cut costs just to survive – it was as simple as that. We reduced expenditure wherever we could, and as a last resort we had to offer colleagues the option of voluntary redundancy because of the uncertainty about when international travel would resume.

We said throughout the pandemic that we were confident in the long-term health of our business and wider sector, and that when restrictions were removed, huge pent-up demand for travel would be released. We also consistently said that we needed clarity on when travel restrictions would be removed, partly so that we could work out the right time to begin recruiting again.

As recently as January, with the Omicron variant spreading rapidly, tight travel restrictions remained in place and our passenger volumes were just a third of what they were pre-pandemic. No other sector has suffered as badly as the UK aviation industry – with other parts of the economy returning to pre-Covid levels way ahead of airport and airlines.

Since February, we have seen a stunning recovery in international travel. Demand has returned dramatically to more than 70% of pre-Covid levels in a matter of weeks, after travel rules were eventually relaxed last month.

But I want to be clear about the challenges associated with getting our operations back to what they were before Covid-19 in such a short space of time – and I also want to be clear about what people can expect in the next month or two as we tackle these challenges.

The simple fact is that we don’t currently have the number of staff we need to provide the level of service that our passengers deserve. Despite our efforts since last Autumn, the tight labour market around the airport has meant we have just not been able to hire people quickly enough to establish a full-strength team.

Practically, staff shortages mean that we cannot open all the security lanes we need and at times, this results in longer queues than we want to see. While we still expect most passengers to get through in less than 30-40 minutes, there will be times over the next few months when waiting times will rise to between 60 and 90 minutes.

We understand that people will feel anxious about missing their flights when they see queues of this length. So for now, we are advising passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before their flight leaves, to allow enough time to check-in, get through security and reach the departure gate. If passengers follow that advice, and allow more time than normal, we are confident they will get away on their travels.

These measures are temporary and we are focused on getting back to normal in time for the peak summer season. As new staff join us, the operational pressure we are facing will ease and queue times will begin to come down.

To achieve this, we are busy recruiting new officers and taking them through the rigorous training and testing needed to work in aviation security. We are doing this in one of the most challenging employment markets we have seen, with competition from many other businesses that find themselves in the same position. These vetting processes are rightly demanding, but they have made it more difficult for us to recruit the people we need, with more than half of those we offer jobs to finding another vacancy before the process is complete.

But the response has been positive and we have interviewed more than 4,000 people over the last two months. Many have already started in the operation and more than 200 people are currently going through the security checks that are needed before they can start training. We expect around 250 new security staff to start in the operation by early May.

While we are advising passengers to expect longer queues than usual as we continue our recruitment drive, I also want to be clear that a huge amount of work is going into improving the situation in the short-term. Our focus for the next four weeks is on delivering a more predictable and reliable level of service for passengers.

A key strand of that is working with Trade Unions and our existing, hugely dedicated workforce to maximise flexibility in the operation. For example, we know many colleagues already working in security are willing to do more hours, or even to postpone holidays to help out. These are entirely voluntary options, and colleagues have been asking us what else they can do to support. Colleagues with the right level of security clearance, but who don’t currently work in the operation, are also being deployed to support wherever possible.

We recognise that people want to know what to expect. We will be deploying more staff to help people when there are queues, and we are also working to provide more real-time information to our customers both online and in our terminals.

We are taking forward these measures with the overall objective of enabling airlines to continue to operate their full schedule of services in the weeks ahead. The alternative in the short-term would be to cap capacity and for airlines to cancel flights, as other airports and airlines are doing.
But this would cause enormous disruption to holidays, business trips and long-awaited visits to see friends and family. We do not think cancellations are what our customers want to see. While we know they don’t want long queues either, we are committed to operating all flights safely and know that the steps we are taking will improve service levels week by week.

As part of tackling these challenges, we have been working closely with our airlines at Manchester and we are agreed that, in the circumstances, this is the best course of action. None of us want to disrupt the travel plans that our customers have made, some of which have been disrupted several times already because of the pandemic.

Together, we are committed to getting people away on their holidays and trips abroad with the best possible airport experience. In the short term, we know this could fall short of what customers expect, but I can assure people that we will be working hard to get passengers through the airport as quickly as we can over the coming weeks.

I cannot apologise enough for the disruption people have faced. We are proud of our role as the UK’s gateway in the North, and as a major source of employment and economic value for the region. We will be back to where we need to be soon, and are working as hard as we can to get there as quickly as possible.

 

[Llandudno]

Funny reading the forums now.

when Manchester was having a really bad time, the amount of people coming in here to dig in the boot, saying MAN needed to get a grip, how bad it was, how there were no excuses and so on was relentless.

but now other airports are reporting delays, whether in the media or personal accounts, all of a sudden when it’s their own beloved little airport involved, we are told we need patience, and the state the industry is in and the media just like to cause trouble.

just incredible how the tone changes when it’s their own airport involved, isn’t it!

 

[A400]

Check the LBA security thread where there’s criticism there.

So it’s not just because it’s “our beloved little airport” it still getting criticism

I don’t get why you take it personally when people criticise MAN.

 

[Llandudno]

Check the LBA security thread where there’s criticism there.

So it’s not just because it’s “our beloved little airport” it still getting criticism

I don’t get why you take it personally when people criticise MAN.

firstly, it’s not taking it personally, it’s pointing out the hypocrisy that I knew was going to rear it’s head. And then there is the irony of accusing me of ‘taking things personally’, but you have chosen to reply here and defend the LBA thread, so if you think I’m taking it personally, what are you doing exactly?

but also on that LBA thread, yes, there is the odd criticism but there are also posters that were absolutely slating MAN a few days/weeks ago but now the shoe is on the other foot, the tone has changed quite drastically. Just pointing it out. Don’t like it, then don’t reply. No one has forced you to.

 

[A400]

How am I defending it? I’ve just said there’s criticism on there. If I was defending it then I wouldn’t say there was.

I only responded to your comments as the vast majority of the time someone dares post something in this thread you respond to it and always ask the question as to why they don’t do it in other airport threads. And you do take it personally

I think you need to ignore peoples posts if you don’t like what they put. But you need to remember everyone is entitled to post their views ( which in this thread I’ve noticed you don’t like)

As for myself I couldn’t care less if someone criticises my local. It’s their views and I respect that. Layoff people when they put theirs is my advice to you

Have a nice day

 

[Aviador]

Check the LBA security thread where there’s criticism there.

So it’s not just because it’s “our beloved little airport” it still getting criticism

I don’t get why you take it personally when people criticise MAN.

It is my belief that we should discuss all aspects of the airport (whichever airport that be) So far as I am concerned that means the good, the bad and the ugly. This is a public forum and we should expect to see a certain amount of criticism. As a whole, I think most of us do that. I think what makes Manchester unique in this instance is it's wider catchment area. Many people who live in say, Merseyside or Yorkshire use Manchester Airport, so as a customer of the airport they have every right to discuss what goes on there. I have had very little to say on this particular thread other than to shed a little bit of light into the running of security. As a former aviation Security Officer I probably have a greater understanding of the proceedings than most.

 

[Seasider]

Funny reading the forums now.

when Manchester was having a really bad time, the amount of people coming in here to dig in the boot, saying MAN needed to get a grip, how bad it was, how there were no excuses and so on was relentless.

but now other airports are reporting delays, whether in the media or personal accounts, all of a sudden when it’s their own beloved little airport involved, we are told we need patience, and the state the industry is in and the media just like to cause trouble.

just incredible how the tone changes when it’s their own airport involved, isn’t it!

I think that you should take into account the views of thousands of people who have been affected by the problems rather than the few on this forum.
Have you written to the papers or gone on social media to complain to people who have been critical of MAN?

 

[Land23R]

Had a feeling some may not bother to post this. At least it was better news this morning.

Smooth morning for Manchester Airport passengers as Easter Bank Holiday begins

"Well done @manairport. Through security and T1 in 15 mins - what a breeze."

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[A400]

Have you considered that not all times of day are busy?

Nontheless a positive article

 

[marni1971]

Thursday 6am T1 was 90 minutes plus. Just goes to show straw polls aren’t much use. But yes, a positive article.

 

[Llandudno]

It is my belief that we should discuss all aspects of the airport (whichever airport that be) So far as I am concerned that means the good, the bad and the ugly. This is a public forum and we should expect to see a certain amount of criticism. As a whole, I think most of us do that. I think what makes Manchester unique in this instance is it's wider catchment area. Many people who live in say, Merseyside or Yorkshire use Manchester Airport, so as a customer of the airport they have every right to discuss what goes on there. I have had very little to say on this particular thread other than to shed a little bit of light into the running of security. As a former aviation Security Officer I probably have a greater understanding of the proceedings than most.

I think the whole point in my post has been missed here.

I wasn’t saying people shouldn’t be critical, I’m not saying people shouldn’t post. That wasn’t my point.

my point was that when MAN criticism is involved, then the problems are ‘inexcusable’ or words to ‘there is no justification’, or ‘it’s their own fault’ or ‘Manchester seems to be bad in isolation’

but then as soon as their local airport comes under similar criticism, then all of a sudden those exact same people call for ‘understanding’ or ‘this is a whole industry problem’ or ‘it’s not their fault, they are short staffed’ etc.

all I’m questioning is where was this same call for ‘understanding’ back when the criticism was aimed at somewhere that wasn’t their local airport?
While people may be missing my point, whether deliberately or accidentally, there is a degree of hypocrisy here and it seems people are happy to turn a blind eye to it.

 

[A400]

Who’s missing your point?

I get the point you’ve just made there that people can still post ect.. but my issue is that you don’t seem to like people posting either negative experiences or negative articles and then start to question as to why it’s not done in other airport threads.

I can’t be critical of the security teams as it’s not their fault that there is staff shortages I’d blame management for removing staff and not preparing for the increase in flights and passengers. And also the terrible pay they offer.

If it makes you happy I’d criticise LBA for shortages and the terrible pay that they offer security people as it’s not good enough and they wonder why people won’t return.

 

[marni1971]

It’s a start - the airport website now has a security wait time banner for both terminals on the splash page. Says updated every five minutes.

 

[A400]

It’s a start - the airport website now has a security wait time banner for both terminals on the splash page. Says updated every five minutes.

That’s good at least they’re giving passengers notice before they travel so they know what to expect and can prepare adequate time to get through.

However that should have been done ages ago. As other places have done so.

 

[Seasider]

I travelled through T2 at 4am yesterday (Tue) and it took 25 minutes.
All staff were friendly and professional.
Well done.

 

[Silvercity]

Manchester Airport on the news last night, lots of problems again.

 

[Llandudno]

Manchester Airport on the news last night, lots of problems again.

The problem is mainly centred around TUI and it’s handling. Just like they are having issues at Newcastle, Gatwick, Birmingham and Belfast. But given TUI cancelled MAN flights specifically, MAN got the special mention. Security has been running smoother which is where MAN specifically would need to act if needed.

Not really a MAN issue, it’s the airline that needs to get its house in order, but don’t let the facts get in the way of your pro-Liverpool agenda once again (you may not have mentioned LPL but we all know what the agenda is given you don’t make comments about any other airport and their issues bar MAN).