Is it best to get public transport to the airport?

Skiddaw1

I've never flown from Manchester but for what it is worth, I know many people who have (we're near Penrith so along with Edinburgh and Newcastle its one of the go-to 'international' airports for us) and the general recommendation is to travel the day before especially if your flight is early in the day as there are often significant log-jams in getting through security/checking in. Transpennine Express isn't one of the most reliable rail services, particularly on a Sunday, which is another good reason for travelling the day before if you take the public transport option. Make it a part of the holiday!  

B0bbyEwing

Well after having time to run the numbers it looks like it's not all that bad stopping over the night before. Train and hotel combined is coming in at the £100-£150 mark which for peace of mind isn't really a bad price. I expected the accommodation to be dearer than that to be honest. 

Thanks to those who suggested an overnight stop. Good chance it's what we'll opt for. 

Plus it means we don't have to void anyones insurance  

Bigphil1474

OP, we almost always fly in and out of Manchester, 2 trips in the last 4 months. We live in Yorkshire. The last trip was last month. Not had any real delays getting through security since maybe 2023. Might be slower at peak times around school hols , but we went during end of May bank holiday week and it was fine. We always get there 3 hours before our flight.

For early morning flights, we usually train day before and stay overnight. We've stayed at the Clayton a couple of times - it's okay, nothing special. Restaurant is okay, nothing special. Does what we need for a reasonable price. It does provide a free shuttle service to your terminal (10 minutes tops), and there's no being kept awake from planes taking off and landing. Usually one of the cheapest. Stayed at the Radisson Blu one time on a special deal but it's usually a lot more expensive. You can walk to the terminal from the Radisson using the skylink walkway. Pretty sure we used hotel.com to book the Clayton last time using Tesco vouchers.

We've also taken the train on day of flight, got dropped off, used the JetPark car parks, and the meet and greet car park at T1. Horses for courses.

The problem with the trains has always been cancellations or the worry of cancellations for us. When we came back from a long trip earlier this year, we got a message to say our train home was cancelled due to signalling issues between the airport and Manchester. Fortunately, by the time we got our luggage and made it down to the train station, the train was back on, but we'd have been stuffed otherwise as it was late at night. Plus we also have to taxi at our end if it's outside of public transport hours. The strikes last year didn't help. It's TPE so they have gotten a lot better recently.

Last time we used jetparks - it was only a 5 day trip, so the cost of parking was less than taxi/train for 2 of us. It works quite well, and probably only added 15 minutes onto the journey to park up and get the car park bus to our terminal. When we got back, there was a bus at the stop a minutes walk from the terminal. It took about 2 hours from getting off the plane to being home and it's around a 1h drive.

Meet and Greet is definitely worth a try although usually more expensive. We've used it 3 times in the past and has always worked for us. Can be a pain if everything doesn't run smoothly apparently. 

The last time we had a lift to and from the airport, our relatives car broke down on the way back. Better than on the way there, but these things happen. I'm actually doing 2 pick ups next week from Manchester, and the cost of their drop off and pick up spots near the terminal are extortionate. Last year I had to pay £25 for pickup, my fault really as I got there a bit too early, and my relatives were a little slow getting their baggage. Definitely a cost to consider - dropping off is usually easier and quicker than picking up (so cheaper). There is a free 1 hour drop off pick up car park away from the airport somewhere, with a shuttle bus - never used it but an idea if you want to save a bit of money. Unfortunately I'll be picking up young kids late on a night so will have to be at the terminal.