1.56 million passengers to fly through Manchester Airport this Christmas
Manchester Airport is gearing up for the festive season as 1.56m passengers are set to travel through the UK’s third largest gateway between today (Fri 14th December) and 6th January.
Friday 21st December will see the Northern hub welcome the most passengers, with 79,300 due to depart from or arrive at Manchester’s three terminals.
In total over the festive period the airport will see an additional 100,000 passengers compared to the previous year, an increase of 7%.
The most popular Christmas destinations include Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam, Tenerife and Paris.
Ahead of Christmas, the airport is advising customers how to make their journey through Manchester as smooth as possible, advising passengers of potential ground transport disruption and reminding passengers of hand baggage rules and restrictions.
Fiona Wright, Customer Services and Security Director at Manchester Airport, said:
“As we edge closer to Christmas and New Year we want to ensure each and every one of our passengers has the best experience and start to their trip, while ensuring their safety and security.
“Our colleagues are committed to ensuring passengers get away seamlessly, which is why we are issuing this advice today to make as many passengers’ journeys as easy as possible whether they are jetting off to Benidorm, Beijing or Barbados.”
“When it comes to what you can and can’t pack in your hand luggage, the rules are exactly the same at Christmas as they are for the rest of the year.
“However, at this festive time of year passengers often travel with gifts of more unusual items, which unwittingly do not comply with the rules. If in doubt, check with your airline first and put it in your suitcase for the hold, rather than your hand luggage.
“Safety and security is always our number one priority, so to help passengers avoid having Christmas treats confiscated and to prevent queues, we’re just reiterating how everyone can help us to help them.”
As temperatures plummet, thick winter coats along with hats, scarves and gloves are essentials to beat the cold outdoor weather. However, at the UK’s third largest airport, passengers are being asked to remove them once inside the terminal before the security check point – to help speed up security queues and reduce waiting times.
Manchester Airport calculations show that on average, an unprepared passenger who has to unzip zips, undo buttons, take off hats, gloves and untie a scarf at the metal detector, rather than in the queue, add over a minute per person to the security processing time. This doesn’t sound much but multiply it by thousands of passengers and it soon adds up.
The airport is also asking passengers to take careful consideration about what they put in their hand-luggage before they get to the airport to avoid Christmas presents being confiscated. Many popular stocking fillers actually breach security regulations, typically because they contain liquids, and passengers may be asked to leave items behind if they are not compliant.
The airport has enlisted help from #RunwayJoe, its very own Elf on a Shelf who will be demonstrating some top tips and advice. Passengers can read his advice here or log onto the airport’s social media channels to learn more over the festive period.
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