This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
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Cabin Crew
Going up to MAN and back in a day was not only a feasible option, but was also relatively inexpensive.I will concentrate on the return leg because Little Red are moving to T2 in the not too distant future and something tells me I will be doing this again
(I will "contrast and compare" with the outbound flight where appropriate 
Having spent a few hours at Manchester Airport, I have reached some conclusions:
Next time I will go into the City Centre if only for an hour
If I was to stay, then the Raddison it will be (that from a committed Hilton boy)
The layout of the three Terminals makes for a lot of walking!!
Anyway, got to Check in just after it had opened and it was already very busy. Joined the Priority Line and shortly afterwards was called forward to the ticketing desk. An excellent experience as not only did the Check in Agent fully engage with me as a customer (somewhat of a rarity in London) but also she said, "I do not recognise as being through her before Mr Buns" and then proceeded to give me full directions to the Escape Lounge
As with most airports these days there was a tiny bit of construction going on so making the it a trek to the main Departure Lounge. The Escape Lounge in Terminal 3 at MAN is very light and airy, excellent views across the airfield and following a warm welcome I settled in. There is a service bar for wines and spirits and a charge for premium brand drinks, such as Jack Daniels. On a passing note, currently there is no Lounge available for passengers travelling out of LHR as "the contract has not been renewed" - which given that Little Red are shortly moving to T2 at LHR and the Servisair Lounge in T1 is so dire is hardly surprising.
The staff in the Lounge really did seem to care and to me that is always important as Airport Lounges can often be such soulless places.
At 2Pm, i decided to get to the Gate and this involved walking back past security and down to the Domestic Departure area and a little tip here - leave going there until you need to as once there you cannot go back to the man Departure Lounge.
There was only a short wait before boarding commenced. The routine is firstly passengers who need assistance quickly followed by Au Holders and Delta equivalents. Now not only was I able to get SEQ1 for this flight but was also first to board
At Check In I was offered an exit Row seat which I had gratefully accepted and it does seem there is a conscious effort to give extra space to Gold Card holders
Boarding was very swift as the flight was about 50% full but alas, pushback was held by ATC, so no quick getaway then
A short taxi and we were up and away. As it is only a 30 - 40 minute flight, service commenced pretty sharpish and being in the centre of the aircraft, it does mean you are last to be served.Crew were very friendly, but I regret to say, they had run out of scotch by the time they had got to me - not surprising as they seem to give out two miniatures at a time
Clouds obscured the view for most of the journey but eventually we were down to see the views over Windsor and Eton as we approached Runway 9L. The run to the Gate was therefore swift and after waiting for the air bridge to be connected we were all off.
So in conclusion, this is a viable way of getting Tier Points and a pleasant enough experience - maybe next time I will stay overnight in Manchester City Centre
Thanks for reading
buns
