Travel & Tourism

What it’s like to fly from Manchester Airport’s ultra-luxury new private terminal

That’s one way to dodge Terminal 3

Will Kendrick - 13th July 2025

I’ve always accepted that commercial air travel comes with a certain level of chaos: the lines, the noise, the stress of checking your pocket for your passport every five minutes or checking the screens for that inevitable delay. It’s not glamorous, but it’s just part of the deal. It’s the price to pay prior to a holiday of good food and weather. Or so I thought.

Last week, aether turned that belief entirely on its head.

Upon arrival at the private terminal – located away from the main airport, near Runway Visitors Park – we were greeted outside by the most lovely host and welcomed inside. It was surreal; there were no crowds, no lines, no barking announcements – only calm, quiet luxury. Granted it was 6am, but let’s admit it, even Manchester Airport can be chaotic at that time.

The lounge area was super relaxed. Ambient music echoed quietly throughout the room and large panoramic windows meant you could watch the spectacle of every take off and landing right from your armchair.

But the real highlight? Breakfast by Adam Reid. Yes, that Adam Reid – the mastermind chef behind The French restaurant at The Midland Hotel. aether serves a three-course breakfast experience that wouldn’t feel out of place in a five-star hotel.

We enjoyed the fresh fruit in elderflower cordial, the buttery jammy croissant pudding and a bowl each of overnight oats. Already this was more than I’d have for breakfast any other day, nevermind the day you go on holiday where you’re usually too stressed to eat.

Then we opted for the smoked salmon and scrambled crumpet and the breakfast bun. The breakfast bun was huge, and kept me full all the way to Seville.

Finally, we finished off with a small smoothie and a cake each, before sitting back down to await details about our flight. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the beer and prosecco, because we were on our holidays after all.

If that wasn’t reason enough to fly with aether, the level of luxury had only just begun. When our flight was almost ready to board, we were asked to head on through to security. It was identical to that seen in any other terminal, except once again, we were the only people there. In fact, we were through security in less than two minutes. I think it was at that point I said to my partner: “I can never go back to normal.” These are the things worth paying for.

Obviously, we still had to get to the plane. You’d assume they have a bus? You’d be wrong. We were chauffeured to the gate in a luxury BMW quite literally driving alongside the runway with a couple of stops whilst we had to wait for planes to reverse. We felt important.

If I let my imagination get the best of me I’d have thought we were heading to a private hangar to board Air Force One. But lo and behold, we had to enter the airport for all of 30 seconds before we boarded the plane. God forbid! Our chauffeur even made sure we boarded through the priority queue, and that concluded the coolest and smoothest way I had ever boarded a Ryanair flight.

It’s easy to scoff at the idea of a ‘private terminal’ until you experience it for yourself. But aether isn’t just offering luxury for luxury’s sake – it’s redefining what the start of a journey can feel like. No queues, no noise, no stress – just calm, care, and an exceptional breakfast to send you on your way.

Would I use it again? If I could, every time.

See more and book aether here.

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Featured image: The Manc Group