Manchester is a fairly large airport with 3 terminals, but only Terminal 2 is currently in use.

Cheap hotels near Manchester Airport

Please see the airport website for the current breakdown.

Find out how to get an ETA to enter the UK in our UK Visas article.

Terminal layouts

At all terminals, you will only be subject to a security check on departure. You will never go through passport control on departure from the UK.

After passing through the duty free shop, you will find yourself in a large waiting area with many restaurants and shops. Departure gate numbers are usually not shown on screens until about 45-70 minutes before departure, so all passengers are forced to spend time in central waiting areas.

Waiting times at security

Manchester Airport is known for its long waiting times at security checkpoints. The worst situation is during the morning departure rush hour (between 5:30 and 7:00), when queues can be up to 45 minutes long.

There are multiple security checkpoints in Terminal 1 and 2, which always lead to a common transit area.

Screens will tell you which security checkpoint has the shorter waiting time.

Transfer between flights

In Manchester, you will usually have a rather unguaranteed transfer, which you can make yourself from two separate tickets. For this case, we recommend ideally a minimum of 4 hours reserve.

If an airline offers a guaranteed transfer in Manchester, in most cases you will not have to change terminals and you will not have to leave the transit area. However, you will always have to go through security.

For longer transfers, feel free to head into Manchester city centre, which is accessible by train within 20 minutes.