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Manchester Airport completes overhaul of flagship terminal

By RomanticHeart | September 16, 2009

With an eye towards helping travellers feel their holiday is starting at the airport, and also putting more fun back into flying, Manchester Airport launched the new and improved Terminal 1 earlier this month.

The overhaul cost £50 million and has taken place over the past two years, after the completion of an in-depth psychological study of passengers’ states of mind as they travelled through the airport.

Expert psychologists studied passengers’ body language, plus monitored their comments and conversations, to help create a picture of the emotions experienced as they passed through the airport. Stress points were identified for travellers using Manchester Airport car parking facilities, at check-in and when passing through security. It was found that most passengers are keen to get past these areas of the airport in order to relax and get into the proper holiday spirit.

The airport then took the results of these studies and, in partnership with leading retail property developer Milligan, set about redesigning Terminal 1 to make the experience of travelling through Manchester Airport more enjoyable for all passengers. The designs went through many changes since they were initiated in 2005, due to changes in the security regime as a result of the liquids ban in 2006 and the attack on Glasgow Airport in 2007.Due to the heightened level of security, all “before security” shops were abolished at Manchester Airport.

The departures level in Terminal 1 now boasts a new retail and catering area that is considerably larger than the pedestrian zones of King Street and Market Street in Manchester City Centre. New stores include Dixons, Monsoon, Starbucks, Kurt Geiger, Fat Face, Mango and SoHo Coffee House, which compliment existing shops Biza and Attitude that were launched last year.A new Be Relax location will even offer passengers spa services like beauty treatments and massages.

In addition to the introduction of new retail spaces, the airport has also splashed out on new security enhancements to help improve safety.For example, special scanners have been purchased (at a cost of over £2 million) that can detect different types of liquids in passenger luggage. There have also been many more concrete blocks installed outside entrances to help prevent another Glasgow-style attack.

Andrew Cornish, Managing Director for Manchester Airport, said: “Our terminal redesigns have had to withstand the test of time with the liquid ban and the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport meaning we had to take them back to the drawing board several times, always putting our customers safety and security at the forefront of our designs. However, with the work finished in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 set to follow shortly after, the future looks bright. We’ve seen retail growth outstrip the high street over recent years and many of our passengers have enjoyed the offering here at Manchester previously but we wanted to significantly invest in it and now we will wait to see whether those changes have an effect.”

As more travellers are enticed to Manchester Airport as a result of the Terminal 1 refurbishment, it’s sure to have a positive knock-on effect for nearby businesses like Manchester Airport hotels, restaurants and even petrol garages.

More and more airports are bound to follow Manchester’s example in an attempt to lure more people through the doors, which can only be good news for holdaymakers across the UK.