From cheap Christmas shopping to a secret quiet zone, the airport team has shared handy tips to ensure passengers flying over the festive period have a smooth experience.
From: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
An incredible 25,000 people are set to travel on Christmas Day itself, while December 20 is expected to be the busiest day. Flying over Christmas can be stressful and there’s lots of things to remember like packing all your presents and allowing for extra time for any delays or cancellations.
But the airport team has shared some lesser-known tips to make your experience stress-free and ensure it's full of Christmas cheer. One handy piece of advice is doing your Christmas shopping at the airport.
Thanks to World Duty Free, you can pick up perfume, aftershave, cosmetics, fine spirits, chocolate and more for far less than you would pay in town. It also means you can avoid the queues and crowds you’ll find on the high street.
If you do any Christmas shopping and you’re bringing your gifts back on the return journey, make sure you’ve got room for them in your bags; if you’re hand luggage only check they comply with security rules - if they contain liquids you can’t bring anything over 100ml through security.
While you’re waiting for your flight in departures, Manchester Airport offers a wide selection of food and drink options, including Pasta Evangelists, which has its only restaurant outside London in terminal 2. But for something a bit different, check out the Gaming Point in Terminal 1, which has PCs, consoles, virtual reality and more.
If you’re flying with kids, you’ll find a Santa’s Grotto in the Little Flyers Zone in Terminal 1. Or for those in terminal 3, check out the ‘secret’ quiet seating area with incredible views of the airfield.
However across all three terminals keep your eyes - and ears for that matter - peeled for live choirs and music groups performing near the check in guests.
Jennifer Byrne-Smith, Manchester Airport’s Customer Operations Director, said: “Christmas is a special time at Manchester Airport – we’re really proud to play our part in bringing families together to celebrate the season and helping people fly off for exciting festive adventures all over the world. “We also have some special tips to help festive travellers get even more out of their trips. Have you ever thought about doing your Christmas shopping in the airport? It’s far less stressful than town and can be much cheaper.
If you’re a gamer – why not try out the consoles and VR games in Terminal 1’s gaming point. Did you know that you could even meet Santa himself in his grotto in Terminal 1 or escape to the quiet area in Terminal 3 with some of the airport’s best views? Hopefully these helpful hacks will let people celebrate the season in style at Manchester Airport.”