Bus Transfers To and From Manchester Airport

Situated halfway between London and Edinburgh, and only 14 km from central Manchester, Manchester Airport handles over 28 million passengers per year. The airport consists of three large terminal buildings, named Terminal 1, 2 and 3, as well as ‘The Station’, which is Manchester Airport’s ground transportation interchange. From The Station, passengers can use the services of bus, coach and rail to reach their desired destinations from the airport, or to arrive at the airport from various nearby or further afield areas. There are many bus services which travel to and from The Station, with over 500 buses using the facility every day.

Local and regional buses operate to and from Manchester Airport on a daily basis, from early morning to night, and also on weekends and public holidays. More recently a 24 hour bus service has been incorporated, connecting the airport to the center of Manchester city. The bus company offering this service is known as Skyline, and their bus number 43 travels to Manchester city center via Whythenshawe, Northenden, Withington, Fallowfield and Rusholme. During the day this bus service operates every ten minutes, and at night every half an hour. A second popular route offered by Skyline is their bus number 19, running every hour to Altrincham, with stops at Wythenshawe and Sale.

Manchester Airports local bus network includes route 18, which travels to the Trafford Center via Wythenshawe, Baguley, Sale and Stretford, as well as to Altrincham via Hale. Bus 18A travels to Flixton via Altrincham, Sale and Urmston. The city center of Manchester can also be reached with the bus service number 105, and this route includes stops at Wythenshawe, Benchill, Sharston, Northenden and Moss Side. Stockport can be reached with the bus services of number 369 and 199. Number 369 travels via Wythenshawe, Heald Green, Cheadle Hulme, Adswood and Edgeley, while number bus number 199, traveling to Stockport Express via M56 and M60, will also take you to Hazel Grove, New Mills, Whaley Bridge, Chapel en-le-Frith and Buxton. Passengers wanting to travel to Wilmslow can use the bus service number 200, and travel via Styal an Quarry Bank Mill.

Bus service number 200 will also travel to the Runway Visitor Park. This is a major attraction at Manchester Airport, offering the best and most panoramic views of the airport’s runway activities. There are beautiful areas for a picnic, the Ringways Restaurant and the Aviation Shop, selling many interesting items. The Runway Visitor Park exhibits four aircraft for the perusal of tourists and locals, but even more popular, is the Concorde Tours, where visitors can explore the cabin and cockpit area of the Concorde G-BOAC.

Besides the local bus services, there are also a large number of coach services which operate daily from Manchester Airport to other major cities in the United Kingdom. Coach travel is affordable, convenient and comfortable, as most coaches are well equipped with air conditioning, reclining seats and onboard toilet facilities. All the coach companies depart from The Station, and coach tickets can be purchased from the coach ticket desk located at The Station. The desk is open daily from 07:00 to 18:00. It is recommended though, that passengers book for their coach travel in advance of their arrival at Manchester Airport. The coach ticket desk can be reached by telephone at 0845 3888127, or at 4397 from any airport courtesy phone. Plenty of coach services are also available to travel to Manchester Airport from many destinations, even from as far afield as Dublin.

National Express is one of the UK’s largest operators of scheduled coach services, and offers a direct connection from Manchester Airport to many key destinations throughout the United Kingdom. Some of which include London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. They offer their customers a fleet of modern and well equipped coaches with air conditioning and comfortable seating.

Passengers arriving at Manchester Airport can enquire from their hotel if they offer complementary bus transportation to and from the airport. Many hotels offer this service, and it is usually free of charge. Your driver will meet you at the airport, and take you and your luggage to the hotel. This service may need an advanced reservation.

Traveling in Manchester itself is easily achieved by rail, bus or tram. Manchester’s tram network is referred to as the Manchester Metrolink, and offers a light rail service to Altrincham, Bury and Eccles. Although the Metrolink is not directly connected to the airport at this stage, there are future plans to extend the line to include the airport. The airport will be on one spur of the line from St Werburgh’s Road, to East Didsbury and Manchester Airport. This new construction is set to be operational by 2012, and by 2016, Manchester Airport will have completed their new tram station. Currently, passengers can access the Metrolink system from Manchester Piccadilly Station, or from the Arriva bus services 18 and 18A traveling to Altrincham.

Visitors can purchase ‘Day Saver’ tickets for the bus services in Manchester, which will also allow for transportation on the trains and trams, in various combinations. Certain bus passes are available as well for set periods of time. Additional information for the bus services at Manchester Airport is available at the information desks in the Arrival areas of all the terminal buildings, or passengers can phone Traveline, at +44 0871 200 22 33, or GMPTE, at +44 (0) 161 228 7811.