Manchester Airport has confirmed that it will fully reopen Terminal Three this week for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UK’s second largest airport has said that in order to meet the increased demand for flights following the easing of travel restrictions earlier this year, Terminal Three – which is the smallest terminal at the airport – will now fully re-open this week on Friday 22 April.
Terminal Three had only been partially reopen since 27 March.
Following the announcement of the reopening of the terminal, the airport said that all passengers flying with airlines Aurigny, British Airways, Eastern Airways, Iberia Express, Loganair, Ryanair, and Vueling should now check in at the Terminal Three entrance, and all arrivals in the airport will also exit from the Terminal Three building too.
On top of that, a range of food and drink outlets, and shops that have previously been closed will also be open in Terminal Three from the 22 April.
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Terminal Three will reopen this week for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic / Credit: Manchester Airport
These include WHSmiths and Travelex in Arrivals, Caffe Nero in Check-in, and then a range of outlets in the ‘Airside’ section – Boots, Costa, WHSmith, Lion & Antelope, Pork & Pickle, KFC, Nook, Kiosco, and the all-important Duty Free.
In addition to arriving three hours before their flight, Manchester Airport is now advising that passengers should also refamiliarise themselves with the rules for security, which includes having large electronic items out.
This fresh advice for travel comes after the CEO at Manchester Airport Group (MAG) last week warned that queues, delays, and cancellations at the airport could continue for “for the next few months”.
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“Our focus is on delivering a more predictable and reliable level of service for passengers,” CEO Charlie Cornish explained in his statement.
Even though the UK government has now scrapped COVID-19 travel restrictions, Manchester Airport is also reminding passengers to check the advice for the country they are travelling to in advance of departure.
It’s also asking that passengers with specific queries about their flights should contact their airline directly.
Government launches £442m drive to get rough sleepers off streets before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has launched a £442m drive to get rough sleepers off the streets before Christmas.
Learning from ‘innovative’ approaches put into place during the pandemic, the Government has announced that new accommodation will be rolled out across England this winter, as well as offering practical help with housing, health, and other needs to support people to build a more stable life for themselves in the future.
The new commitment to offer everyone a route off the streets this Christmas, along with boosted funding, reflect the Andy Burnham‘s national drive to make ‘real change’ and get everyone playing their part in ending rough sleeping.
Not only will these plans change the lives of rough sleepers, but it’s also said they will have huge benefits for the country as a whole.
Research from homelessness charity Crisis suggests that by preventing 40,000 people from becoming homeless for a year, taxpayers could save around £370 million.
The Government has launched a £442m drive to get rough sleepers off the streets before Christmas / Credit: Number 10 Press Office | Jon Tyson (via Unsplash)
As well provisions to get people off the streets, and the intensive ‘wraparound’ support, the newly allocated funding will also help local areas deliver more than 1,000 ‘settled’ homes over the next three years, it has been confirmed.
Areas facing the greatest pressures will receive the largest share of support.
Working alongside councils, Mayors will play a leading role in driving local action to end rough sleeping, and will be tasked with making decisions that are right for their communities to deliver help where it’s needed most.
The Prime Minister says he ‘won’t accept’ rough sleeping any longer. He commented: “No one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station, but we’ve seen it for so long that it feels like Westminster has started to accept it.
“That’s why my first instruction as Prime Minister was to end rough sleeping, and it’s why today we’re getting started with a national drive to get everyone in for Christmas. We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again. But it needs all of us.
“Government will put the money in, but I’m asking leaders in communities and sectors across society to play their part locally too.
“Let’s get people out the cold, and let’s bring back hope.”
Featured Image – Gary Knight (via Flickr)
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Trainline and Virgin Atlantic among companies being investigated for ‘misleading’ pricing
Emily Sergeant
A number of companies are currently under investigation for ‘misleading’ pricing practices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched three new consumer protection investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School over concerns that customers were not shown the total price upfront when buying things like train and coach tickets, holidays, or even driving lessons.
The investigations are part of a wider CMA clampdown on misleading pricing practices – in this instance, where mandatory charges are separated from the headline price, or added later in the buying process, which is known as drip pricing.
These practices leave consumers facing ‘unexpected’ costs or having to calculate the so-called true cost themselves.
Such practices can also impact competition between businesses, as a firm using drip pricing may falsely appear to be cheaper than a competitor pricing correctly, and therefore attract more customers.
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies being investigated for ‘misleading’ pricing / Credit: Northern | Aric Cheng (via Unsplash)
Trainline is being investigated over whether all mandatory fees have been included in the upfront prices displayed to consumers buying tickets in advance on its app and website, while Virgin Atlantic’s investigation will focus on whether mandatory resort fees and local taxes have been included in the upfront prices shown to customers buying package holidays.
RED Driving School is being investigated over how a mandatory booking fee and ‘digital’ fee have been displayed to people booking driving lessons – specifically whether these fees have been included in the total upfront price.
“At a time when many households are watching every pound they spend, it is important that people are not surprised by extra fees,” commented Emma Cochrane, who is the Executive Director for Consumer Protection at the CMA.
“Clear pricing helps people compare offers confidently and choose the option that works best for them.
“Unexpected mandatory charges make this much harder, which is why the CMA initially put these firms on notice over concerns about their pricing practices and is now opening formal investigations.”
The CMA says it’s at the beginning of its investigations and has reached no conclusions about whether these firms have broken the law.
If it finds there has been an infringement of the law, the CMA can order businesses to pay compensation to affected customers or be charged up to 10% of global turnover.
Emily Sergeant -
19th April 2022 
