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Holidays are meant to be  fun aren’t they? They are meant to be relaxing and they aren’t supposed to make things harder. So why so often do we not pay enough attention to the start of the holiday, or perhaps the end, meaning that our few hours in the airport can feel like an ordeal rather than exciting or perhaps even enjoyable.

We’ve had a few frantic trips through various airports recently but I have to say our recent trip to Crete with Simpson Travel started incredibly well.

Holiday Extra’s kindly booked us an inclusive package at Manchester airport and I can honestly say the whole thing was amazing.  The cost would have been £228.94 for 7 days parking, lounge access and speedy security but when you think of the cost of the holiday I really think it’s worth adding on this to make the airport process significantly better.

Holiday Extra book it all for you, sort out which car park, which terminal and where you should be. Pay once and get it all sent through to you  by email just ready to print.

The part of the experience that made the most difference to our time at the airport this time was using Manchester Airport’s on site Meet & Greet parking at T2. This really is impressive, easy and excellent Meet & Greet parking. No waiting for a driver to come and collect you; no guessing whether you will reach the airport in 10 minutes or 30 minutes; no worrying about handing your keys over to someone who is going to take your car god knows where. You simply pull up in a parking bay, walk two minutes across the car park to the office, sign in your keys with your details and away you go.  It was easy, straightforward, simple and no stress at all. They have a similar service we have used at Heathrow T5 before and we LOVED it.  I will definitely pay for this service in the future and suggest you look it up.

From there we were really lucky to get through check in very quickly too. TUI seemed to have sorted out their check in process at Manchester airport and it was quick and seemless. We had booked speedy security (and unlike our experience at May half term which was anything but speedy) this time it worked like a dream.

Our whole time parking, checking in, and clearing security took less than 45 minutes.

Great start to a trip booking meet and greet, speedy security and exec lounge @manairport thanks @HolidayExtras we were eating bacon butties through security within 45 mins! #ad #familytravel pic.twitter.com/9FXQGvjZUY

— minitravellers (@minitravellers) August 28, 2018

Meaning that by 5.30am we were in the airport lounge at T2 eating bacon butties, reading books, listening to podcasts or whatever our distraction of choice was feeling very happy indeed.

T2 airport lounge it has to be said is not however the lovely lounge experience that T1 and T3 are. It feels like an after thought and not a lot seems to be being done to make the experience feel any  nicer. The staff were fairly brusque to most of the adults, although kind to the kids, and the low ceiling makes it all feel a little dingy. That being said depending on your time of travel I would still recommend it. It’s a quiet peaceful space, you get breakfast, coffee and drinks – so I’d still way up what you’d spend on those things in the airport café and make your decision based on that. No lovely views of aeroplanes taking off though like in T1 and T3.

Whilst appreciating that this package is a luxury and an additional cost to your trip – when we arrived back to Manchester after our week in the sun, we picked the car up in minutes from the car park across the road and drove off with no issues whatsoever, I really do think it’s worth it.

It also avoids the Manchester airport fiasco where the new drop off fee is causing much angst and frustration!

Thanks Holiday Extras!