VS at MAN

[mitchja]

{sigh}

Heading to BOS today from MAN. Not flown VS from MAN for a while (prefer LHR) and the airport experience so far reminds me why.

Had a fantastic agent working the Upper Class desk but so far other than that, MAN airport T2 still sucks unfortunately.

Priority security is as bad as ever as they still insist on sending everyone with a pushchair through the single priority security lane.

The Escape+ lounge is almost standing room only as both the 73 and the 127 are delayed this afternoon. This is the same lounge which doesn’t even have any bathrooms as well!

The buffet food is OK but nothing special.

I did park in the new West T2 multi-storey car park which will eventually be linked to the new airport entrance but at present you have to walk outside to the existing T2 arrivals/departures entrance.

Let’s see what the flight itself is like as this is my first time on a VS A332. I selected seat 3A going off what others have posted on here. The A332 J cabin is filling up now as there was only me and 2 other seats occupied up to checking in online yesterday.

Interestingly, the return flight on Wednesday has had a full A332 J cabin for several weeks now.

[mitchja]

Just onboard the VS121 now and so far I’m suitably impressed with Upper Class on the A332’s

Great crew already as well

Boarded from gate A12 on the new pier which is a great improvement.

Have a good trip James.

Totally agree with you on all points. Hopefully things can only get better for you now that you’re on board.

Hope you have a great flight James.

The MAN T2 security "Priority" has been a joke for years. It is worth noting that there are actually two priority queues for security at MAN. There is the "Priority" queue which says something like "By invitation only" on it's sign - this is what MAN allow airlines to hand out free to Business Class passengers or frequent flyers with suitable status. This is also the line where they send all & sundry who will take longer to screen, as evidenced above.

Then there is the "FastTrack" queue which is available to anyone, at a cost. This queue is fast as only people who have paid to use it are allowed in. You won't get into the FastTrack queue with just a J class boarding pass with the yellow Priority sticker on.

There is nothing to stop VS buying FastTrack access for their Upper Class / Flying Club Gold passengers - I am sure MAN would come to a deal on a reduced price. This would obviously cost VS money though & this is the same airline that a few years ago decided to use only remote stands only at MAN for a season as it saved them something like 50p/passenger on the handling charges (but it annoyed a lot of pax too).

Given that the Clubhouse is on the horizon for April when T2X opens, maybe VS will take a closer look at their product offering for Upper Class & Flying Club Golds & go down the FastTrack route.

[mitchja]

Even though all the onboard WiFi info mentions GoGo, the WiFi system on G-VLNM is actually T-Mobile so you can use the WiFi for free using your VS M/Card Boingo account

On-board service is as good as ever from the MAN based crews making up for the poor airport experience.

Not seen this mentioned anywhere but G-VLNM does have AeroMobile installed and unlike other VS A/C it connects using 3G.

As with the DL A333’s you will need a two-pin headphone aircraft adapter if using your own headphones.

Mitchja - what you describe is IMO a microcosm of the issues MAN needs to address in order to facilitate VS’s plans.

I don’t know where you are ordinarily based, but your post implies you can pick and choose between LHR and MAN. For a number of completely logical reasons you choose LHR. MAN has to address those issues if it is to collect more of the “floating” custom and become more attractive to transfer passengers.

I hope the Clubhouse will address the lounge issue - I don’t know how big the facility will be, but I suspect it will be large enough for a 10+ aircraft base.

The terminal extension should be a dramatic improvement (as will the renovation of the 1993 building) but it is concerning the amount it has been scaled back since its inception in 2015. There will be some pleasant eateries when it opens, but for me the key test will be the efficiency of outbound security, and inbound border control and baggage reclaim. It has to be better.

I assume that “Virgin Connect” will move from T3 to T2, which should give the operation there a large scale. Hopefully, because VS will now be pretty much MAN’s largest customer, they will get support for this.

P.s. have a pleasant flight!

[mitchja]

Dobbo, thanks. I live in Lancashire, but close to Skipton so the east coast main line is very easy for me to use to get down to London and back. LNER even have a direct service from Skipton to Kings Cross (albeit only 1 a day in each direction). A First Class return advance purchase rail fare is still cheaper than a BA domestic flight plus its a much more civilised way to travel

As things stand now at MAN with VS I still don’t see much advantage in flying from there.

By the way the A332’s are a great aircraft and the J cabin is good so I’m not really sure where all the negativity has come from? I would not hesitate in using one of the A332’s again. It would be nice though if there was some sort of social area (I should point out that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bar).

I hope the Clubhouse will address the lounge issue - I don’t know how big the facility will be, but I suspect it will be large enough for a 10+ aircraft base.

The terminal extension should be a dramatic improvement (as will the renovation of the 1993 building) but it is concerning the amount it has been scaled back since its inception in 2015. There will be some pleasant eateries when it opens, but for me the key test will be the efficiency of outbound security, and inbound border control and baggage reclaim. It has to be better.

I am sure the Clubhouse will fix the lounge issue - if it doesn't then VS have screwed up big-time. Just hope it is indeed a suitable size, particularly with DL returning to MAN. OK, the DL return is one flight a day, but they do have a bigger % of pax with suitable frequent flyer status that would entitle them to Clubhouse access.

VS could fix the outbound security issue for Upper / FC Golds in an instant. Just pay MAN and buy them FastTrack security - as opposed to stickering the boarding passes for the Priority lane, which is anything but. The pre-book rate for FastTrack is £6pp, so VS would almost certainly be able to negotiate this down with MAN as they are / will be a significant customer. Come on VS - you only put £400 of YQ onto an Upper Class ticket - spend a bit of this on your premium passengers airport experience!

TBH I've never had an issue with baggage reclaim or Immigration at MAN. I'm normally in Upper Class so off the aircraft pretty fast for the walk to Immigration. Rarely have to wait more than a minute or two for the e-Gates at Immigration and the bags are normally coming through within 5mins or so of getting to the baggage hall, which I consider quite acceptable. Sometimes it's not always the Upper / Premium bags coming off first - but this is more than likely due to the containers being loaded in the wrong order at the departure airport - nothing MAN can do about that.

Glad you had a good flight on the A330-200 and enjoyed the Upper seats. Goes to show the best way to judge things is to try them out first hand and draw your own conclusions from that.

What's the new pier like at MAN? I've heard mixed reviews about it including a valid point about there being no amenities such as a cafe. It's quite a trek from the main part of T2 departures. I've not had a chance to try the new pier yet, but I'll reserve final judgement until the works are fully complete.

Living on the opposite side of the county to you, I will use MAN (or LPL) as much as possible. I also sign up to the "use it or lose it " mantra, but I appreciate there are often valid reasons for going elsewhere.

What's the new pier like at MAN? I've heard mixed reviews about it including a valid point about there being no amenities such as a cafe. It's quite a trek from the main part of T2 departures. I've not had a chance to try the new pier yet, but I'll reserve final judgement until the works are fully complete.

There is a good 3 part review (with more than a few photos) of the new pier at MAN T2 at the link below. (You do need to register an account [free of charge] to view the full size photos);
https://forums4airports.com/threads/4319/page-48
"Mixed reviews" seems to be a fair summary of the new pier.

Hi All

I had typed out a substantive response but it got lost in the ether somehow. I have just stumped up the will and found time to have another go...

Mitchja - I think I am about 30 miles to the east of you, with a similar rail service to KingsX. My preference, where possible, is to drive for 80-90 minutes to MAN over a 4 hour train journey - but I think the choice you (and no doubt others) make is logical.

For VS to get their ambitious plans off the ground at MAN, the scales need to be more balanced. I’m not saying VS matches it’s LHR service at MAN because that is unrealistic. However, it things like clubhouse, more efficient security, passport, baggage and transfer facilities, better shops/restaurants, surface access and being the focus of Connect should mean that the VS operation at MAN in 2025 should be unrecognisable from today.

I think the A332’s poor reputation stemmed from their condition upon receipt from Air Berlin. They are unrecognisable now, and have been a great stopgap. I doubt they have too much life left, but it might encourage vS to keep the A333s longer than currently planned.

Hi All

I had typed out a substantive response but it got lost in the ether somehow. I have just stumped up the will and found time to have another go...

Mitchja - I think I am about 30 miles to the east of you, with a similar rail service to KingsX. My preference, where possible, is to drive for 80-90 minutes to MAN over a 4 hour train journey - but I think the choice you (and no doubt others) make is logical.

For VS to get their ambitious plans off the ground at MAN, the scales need to be more balanced. I’m not saying VS matches it’s LHR service at MAN because that is unrealistic. However, it things like clubhouse, more efficient security, passport, baggage and transfer facilities, better shops/restaurants, surface access and being the focus of Connect should mean that the VS operation at MAN in 2025 should be unrecognisable from today.

I think the A332’s poor reputation stemmed from their condition upon receipt from Air Berlin. They are unrecognisable now, and have been a great stopgap. I doubt they have too much life left, but it might encourage vS to keep the A333s longer than currently planned.

Agree with pretty much all of that.

Things such as the Clubhouse and what to do with Flybe are within VS' control. Other things such as airport facilities and services less so, but there's nothing to stop VS from pressuring MAN to up their game, especially if other users of T2 such as CX, QR, SQ and UA make similar noises. It's a win-win for both MAN and the airlines if there are high quality facilities.

I suppose a couple of beefs with the -200's initially was no PE and pretty much being ex-Air Berlin but slightly tarted up inside. Time constraints such as needing them in service by Spring 2018 may have plated a part. It wouldn't be viable for VS to have refurbished them to the same standard as the -300's given their time-limited role in the fleet (look back at history and see how long they kicked into the long grass the job refurbishing the non-LHR-based 747's to see what I'm getting at), but going by the comments after they put more of their own stamp on things by redoing the Upper seat, installing PE and redoing the upholstery, it sounds like they've made more of an effort at bringing them more in line with the rest of the fleet.

Good point about what is and is not within VS’s control.

Hopefully the addition of BE under the VS umbrella, together with the presence of JV partners DL, AF, KL (presumably in time under one roof at T2X) will mean VS has far greater commercial bargaining power than it has historically enjoyed with MAN.

I don’t know how far that will take them, but it means that they are pretty much MAN’s largest single customer, and only based hub airline, and those factors should mean they hold reasonable sway.

I don’t know how far that will take them, but it means that they are pretty much MAN’s largest single customer, and only based hub airline, and those factors should mean they hold reasonable sway.

You’d hope. But looking at how MAG run Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands it seems pretty clear that their primary strategy is in catering for LCCs and leisure flights, which means spending as little as possible on passenger frills.

[mitchja]

I'll post a TR when I get round to it but had a very very mediocre crew coming back from BOS on the VS122 this morning. Barely got a smile out of any of the crew working in J.

The A332 J seat is not particularly good at all in bed mode.

These 2 flights have sealed it for me now and VS at MAN. I wont be using DL to/from MAN next year on this route and I'm sticking to flying out of LHR thank you very much.

reply to James. 3 more folk have had the same experience as you on the boston run this last 2 weeks and said that Manchester airport was awful, no smiles no chat and airport experience was still along way off for now. 1 of them tried upper awful as he put it and said he did not get any pleasure from his trip, he came back via jfk and said sitting on the old girl 747 was a joy great crew, so gave that 5 * he now says that it has sealed his fate as far as the 200 goes. He will go to LHR and try out the 350 over to JFK. He will let me know asap.

Oh dear, sorry to hear that James.

I’m on VS127 to JFK in November - A332 over and B747 back (although PE this trip so won’t have to worry about the seat/bed). I’ve never had anything other than great crews over the years so hopefully your crew just had an “off day”.

Sorry to hear about the bad experience Mitchja.

Hopefully when VS have had the opportunity to invest more in their offer at MAN (e.g. the A332 is replaced with A333/A339) this will improve. It will have to if they want to achieve their ambitions at MAN.