Owning an airport must be one of the best money-spinners on the planet.

Certainly for the Manchester Airport Group it has been.

There are of course other airports in the UK but unless you want to end your journey with a long, tiring drive home most travellers choose to fly from their local airport.

In reality an airport is somewhat akin to owning a monopoly and Manchester has taken full advantage of its position.

MIA has never been particularly customer friendly with first time flyers frequently driving around like lost souls trying to find their terminal/car park in a complex maze of ever-changing roads.

The cost of a week’s parking at Manchester Airport is currently around £100 depending on where and when so you would think they would be happy to have their car parks permanently full.

Management has somehow contrived to invent a drop-off scheme that sends taxis and private cars through the multi-storey car park, giving them five minutes to pick up/drop off and get out.

Having suffered the frustration of using the multi-storey during peak times I can assure you there is more chance of getting an African elephant through customs than passing through the automatic gates in five minutes.

Who on earth believed they could push hundreds of taxis through the multi-storey without creating total chaos?

Given all those extra car parking fees...are they bovvered?

By Vic Barlow