Travel to Manchester airport

[Blackbeard]

It would be useful if the airport trains had luggage space, the lastime I used the train it looked like a war zone with luggage everywhere. The guard did his health and safety talk saying that luggage should not be on the floor but that was the only place to put it.

[GoGo_dancer]

 

if you get your train tickets three months in advance - the earliest time it is possible to buy them - then the fare to Mcr Airport can be less than a tenner.

 

even reckoning in the cost of a cab from Stocksbridge to the Midland Station (around £12?) that is still going to be way cheaper than paying for petrol and parking fees at the airport terminal.

 

also it is a lot less trouble. You don't have to do any driving. Somebody else is doing the driving, not you. And when you take the train you are straight away right there smack bang in the middle of the whole piece of infrastructure when you arrive. You don't have to mess about with finding a parking space, parking tickets, and all that garbage. All you have to do is get off the train, get a trolley, and push it towards the check in desk.

 

Hahaha...£12 for a taxi from Stocksbridge to Sheffield Station?? Last time I got a taxi home it cost me £18.50.

 

Okay, so I'm actually going to Manchester Airport this Thursday, our flight is at 8am and we need to be there around 5.30 - 6am.

The train I would need to catch is at 03.25 and takes 1h 47m, so gets me in at 05.12 (costs £8.50 each according to Trainline).

On a clear run we can get into town in 30mins, so I'd need to get a taxi at 02.45. So we're already looking at £35.50 and over 2 hours travel time.

 

Our flight home lands at 2am, and the first train isn't until 04.40am. It takes 2h 17m to get to Sheffield, then don't forget the £18.50 taxi back home! We'd eventually get home at around 7am.

 

In reality, we're leaving our house at a more respectable 04.30am and aiming to get there for 05.30am, using the meet & greet parking service which cost us £42 and making the short stroll into departures.

Then when we get back, we pick up our keys, get in the car and should hopefully get home around 4am.

 

So yeah, £70 and 7 hours travel time, vs £50 and 2 hours travel time....THAT'S a no-brainer!

Edited May 16, 2016 by nikki-red
fixed quote tags

[blake]

you haven't costed how much you pay for the fuel if you drive yourself.

 

and no way does the train take anything like as long as that to get to the airport from Sheffield Station. I have not gone to the airport by any other method for years, so I know exactly how long it takes. It takes one hour and fifteen minutes. It does help that I live not far from the station. The total cost for me is £6 for a taxi and about £9 for the train fare. Also the last thing I would want to do after completing a 20 hour journey having taken two flights having stopped over in Abu Dhabi airport for about 3 hours in between them, is to get in a car upon arrival in Manchester and drive anywhere.

[vwkittie]

 

if you get your train tickets three months in advance - the earliest time it is possible to buy them - then the fare to Mcr Airport can be less than a tenner.

 

even reckoning in the cost of a cab from Stocksbridge to the Midland Station (around £12?) that is still going to be way cheaper than paying for petrol and parking fees at the airport terminal.

 

also it is a lot less trouble. You don't have to do any driving. Somebody else is doing the driving, not you. And when you take the train you are straight away right there smack bang in the middle of the whole piece of infrastructure when you arrive. You don't have to mess about with finding a parking space, parking tickets, and all that garbage. All you have to do is get off the train, get a trolley, and push it towards the check in desk.

 

£12, maybe about 20 years ago! It only takes about and hour and 30 mins to drive there from our house (so a lot faster than going all the way into town to come all the way back out again), the parking ticket is bought in advance online and there were acres of empty spaces so no hassle there, and you just hop on the car park shuttle bus that takes you right to the airport in about 2 mins. Our car only costs us 11p a mile too so it costs about £10 to drive there and back again

 

Also I haven't even thought about going on holiday 3 months in advance, let alone booked train tickets

Edited May 16, 2016 by vwkittie

[SamuelJames]

The flight is at 19.00 we aim to get there at 16.30.

We want to be early as we have heard some horror stories about Manchester Airport and it's new security equipment.

 

We flew from there last week to menoca and it was sweet, very fast. Just set off at 3:00 and youll be there for 4:30 no problem.

[blake]

so easy to take the train. Somebody once offered to pick me up on arrival at the airport by car a couple of years ago. They said they owed me one because a few years before, I'd done the same for them, and they wanted to reciprocate.

 

I declined the offer because it was just not necessary. It's less hassle to push a trolley towards the train station at the airport than it is to bother to look out for somebody at the meeting point and then go with them to the car park.

[Danny_Boy]

so easy to take the train. Somebody once offered to pick me up on arrival at the airport by car a couple of years ago. They said they owed me one because a few years before, I'd done the same for them, and they wanted to reciprocate.

 

I declined the offer because it was just not necessary. It's less hassle to push a trolley towards the train station at the airport than it is to bother to look out for somebody at the meeting point and then go with them to the car park.

 

I like to take the train it does take the stress out of it and if I lived close to a station I probably would but in my opinion getting a taxi from Rotherham to Sheffield to get the train and then having to do the same on the return is more hassle and costs more than just using the excellent meet and greet facility at Manchester, takes more time as well. Although if both our flights meant driving in rush hour traffic I would consider the train option but it seems whenever I fly it's early hours of the morning when the trains are scarce.

[Bargepole23]

Exactly, "The check-in counter closes 1 hour prior to departure." So that's when you need to be there. I've never missed a flight except once when I just didn't wake up.

 

I've rolled up at the KLM desk at Heathrow with a lot less than 1 hour left, still got on. Business class though so maybe that helped, and pre-2001. I had to take all my bags through security with me and check them in at the gate.

 

---------- Post added 16-05-2016 at 12:57 ----------

 

I like to drive the day before and overnight at the Raddison blue.

I even park my car in their car park.

 

Same here if it's an early departure, unfortunately that means you miss breakfast.

 

If it's anything after a nine am departure, then I just drive via Pott Shrigley, and use the valet parking. Simples, and 1 hour door to door.