Plans for Manchester T2 to reopen?

[Memories4You]

We’ve booked it quite a few times and have always been happy. Never thought it was overcrowded. I could see however that the toilets could be a problem as they may share with other lounges but again we’ve always been fine. I’m rebooking our July trip so I wonder if they’d class that as a new booking ?

[KarenG]

I’d be amazed if T2 opened soon.

[Kraken]

Have not done the Aspire Lounge in T2 - but have done the Escape Lounge. From all the reviews I've read of both (& my experience in the Escape), neither is much cop. At peak times they tend to be full of groups of people getting their 3hrs worth of alcohol in fast.

Thankfully Virgin now use the Escape Plus lounge for Upper Class / Flying Club Gold. It's small & also nothing to write home about, but at least the alcohol-necking groups can't get in there.

T2X (the new part of T2) can't open soon enough, as there is a shiny new Virgin Clubhouse in there - at last, the proper full Upper Class experience for us "northerners".

MAN airport want T2X open, but have been unable to do proving trials due to Covid. This, along with the slump in air travel demand means they are running on T1 only.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by Cabbie

It’s more of a marketing tool than an indication that flights are about to resume. VS and other airline are still selling flights that are clearly not going to happen.

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As Steve says above ^, I don't think it's a sign of anything, other than Virgin trying to drum up some business. At numerous times in the last 6 or 7 months, Virgin have stated regular passenger flights to the US were going to resume but they never did.

The UK only just increased travel restrictions in the last few days, so it seems unlikely that they'll be expecting a big increase in travel any time soon.

[a11mark]

Originally Posted by Nimbus

As Steve says above ^, I don't think it's a sign of anything, other than Virgin trying to drum up some business. At numerous times in the last 6 or 7 months, Virgin have stated regular passenger flights to the US were going to resume but they never did.

The UK only just increased travel restrictions in the last few days, so it seems unlikely that they'll be expecting a big increase in travel any time soon.

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As others have said this could be a marketing ploy

Worked stop on T2 in March 2020, they were due to open it in Summer 2020

As per the Manchester Airport Transformation site

"We have also taken the decision to postpone the opening of the extension to Terminal 2, being delivered as part of our £1bn transformation programme, beyond this summer.

It is our current intention to complete the physical delivery of the building as planned, which puts us in the best possible place to complete all trials and tests, and work towards a formal launch when the time is right for us and our partners."

I believe currently Manchester Airport is only operating out of T1, no other updates have been given on the opening on T2 as of yet

[Kraken]

My best guess would be that Manchester Airport will try to open TX in late March / early April when the airlines IATA summer schedule begins. It's a logical "cutover" target - sort of "out with the old, in with the new" so as to speak.

I know that before the first lockdown back in March, Manchester Airport had said that T2X was pretty much ready from a construction viewpoint. They just needed to run the trials.

It may be they have been able to do these to an extent using airport / airline staff / family members of the same (a lot of people on the Heathrow T5 trials were staff or family members of staff).

It's not as though demand for air travel is going to be sky-high come late March, so it would be more of a soft-opening to iron out the gremlins.

All the Heathrow T5 opening chaos was not as a result of bad proving trials, it was a spreadsheet with mis-aligned data for staff logon details for the baggage system. Hence most staff locked themselves out and bags could not be introduced into the system.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by a11mark

As others have said this could be a marketing ploy

Worked stop on T2 in March 2020, they were due to open it in Summer 2020

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Terminal 2 did reopen for while in Summer last year.

businesstraveller/bu...ns-terminal-2/

It opened in mid July and closed at the beginning of September 2020.

I'm not sure whether the new bit of Terminal 2 opened during this time?

[Kraken]

Originally Posted by Nimbus

Terminal 2 did reopen for while in Summer last year.

businesstraveller/bu...ns-terminal-2/

It opened in mid July and closed at the beginning of September 2020.

I'm not sure whether the new bit of Terminal 2 opened during this time?

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Nope, T2X has not seen a paying passenger yet. (With the slight exception of Pier A, the new pier that opened in March 2019 & was linked via a very long corridor to the old part of T2).

[owensy]

I would be suprised if T2 opens this year to be honest.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by Kraken

Nope, T2X has not seen a paying passenger yet. (With the slight exception of Pier A, the new pier that opened in March 2019 & was linked via a very long corridor to the old part of T2).

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Thanks.

Is T2X part of Terminal 2 or a separate terminal then? I assumed T2 was being updated and became the new T2, but is it an extension instead?