When it comes to civil airlines Manchester airport has got it all. From the smallest 2 seater planes all the way up to the A380. The Visitors Park is a great place to view aircraft both taking off and Landing, with other attractions on site. However, I was aware of the Airport pub and grill, with its advantage point at the end of the runway. And informed of the great Full breakfast. It is easy to access the pub via the main airport ring road, even if the pub car park is full you can get direction from the pub to access to two further parks in walking distance. The site uses ANPR for parking with a car park machine. If you know how long you are intent on stopping you can pay at the m/c straightaway. However, a secret tip if not sure how long you want to stay you can pay when you leave. The pay machine I found awkward to use but at least there is an attendant on hand to happily assist. The main viewing area is the beer garden at the rear of the premises. So, you will need to walk right through the pub. You can if you wish have a proper restaurant meal inside the pub. In the beer garden you have plenty of picnic seating areas, a snack bar called the hanger- where you can get snack meals and drinks. Other features include a children’s play area, toilets - both inside and outside the beer garden. I noticed plenty of staff on hand, continually keeping the place clean.
Re viewing aircraft Manchester airport has two main runways. They are parallel to each other. However, they are staggered where they start and end which sometimes means you have limited view of take-offs see Google maps view. It’s important to note when the wind changes so can the way the runways are used. From the airport pub you get a great view of planes coming into land, with the large planes you will hear them loudly and feel the wind they generate around them. If for some reason only one runway is in use, you are in for a treat as the planes come very close to the pub, queuing on the approach adjacent to the pub. On my visit just as I was leaving they changed runway directions and three large planes came right up to the side of the pub. All in all a great place to experience the airport, a thoroughly...
Read moreVery unpleasant experience at the airport today due to a very rude manager. I am fully aware that when you experience a flat tyre it is very difficult to prove where it occurred, however upon looking around the car park there where screws and nails scattered around from the ongoing building work. Upon informing the manager he said it was very unlikely it happened in the car park as the nails would need to be stood on their head... Really?!?! Was I born yesterday? Anyway knowing I was getting nowhere I politely informed him there was nails and screws in the car park and they may want to move them for other drivers. 90 mins later on leaving I found 4 screws/nails walking back to the car. I went to inform the manager the hazard was still there and he was adamant staff had been out to clean the car park since I had told him. In the next breath he still was adamant that there was "no possibility" that I received the puncture on site and no apology was given. I am fully aware that I cannot prove the puncture happened on site but there's a high probability it did when there are nails on the floor. To tell me there is "NO POSSIBILITY" of it happening there because they sweep up regularly - "due to debris falling off the building" is illogical. If there was no possibility of punctures due to regular cleaning how did I manage to pick up 4 nails after you have cleaned up? Customers aren't stupid. We won't ever be attending again. All it needed was "I'm sorry that's happened we'll look into it straight away"....not some rubbish about how tyres only get punctured when nails are stood on their heads. I mean come on......
Edit in response. Would love to see the cctv. My children didn't pick up any nails 😂😂 absolute lies... Unless of course I'm looking very young these days. But it's good you've warned other parents of the risk of possibly needing a tetanus jab for when their children freely pick up rusty nails and screws. Your arrogance for someone in a customer facing role is laughable. You are mentioned in a few of these reviews I see... And not in...
Read moreAtmosphere was nice as always, but the attitude of the staff was resentful and unpleasant. Upon arriving we were greeted by an angry gentleman who I assumed was the parking attendant, shouting at us to put our indicators on - we had them on but ended up knocking off as we pulled in slightly to get out the way of traffic wanting to pass. I assume he works for the driving standards agency also because this seemed to really bother him, why it was a concern of his I don’t know but a simple polite reminder would have sufficed. We went inside with our dog and abruptly told they don’t allow dogs inside, which is fine as I was unsure of the policy anyway. Again, politely saying so would have been enough. We had already paid for parking and decided we’d stay for a bit and put our dog in the car for half hour - an hour, there was a gate to the garden so we checked it out to see if there were any places to sit before putting the dog back in the car. When we went back inside we were told “we don’t appreciate you trying to sneak in through the back” - we told the staff that we weren’t trying to sneak in and simply just looking for spare seats. The response was a dismissive “okay sure”. Next time I might bring my balaclava so I can sneak in more effectively, I think having the dog foiled our plans of “sneaking in”. We wouldn’t make very good burglars. A lovely lady who was standing behind who I assume was a manager chipped in saying “well no one’s forcing you to stay”. A masterclass in customer service. We decided to stay as we weren’t going to be made to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome because the staff didn’t want to be there, I think that’s more their problem than it is the customers. If you’re looking to get shouted at and spoken to in a patronising manner then this is the pub for you. That being said the interior, food and drinks, and views...
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