Travel & Tourism

Liverpool John Lennon takes a pop at Manchester Airport after picking up another travel award

'Which is better? There's only one way to find out: FIGHT!'

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 28th June 2024

Liverpool John Lennon Airport has taken a little pop at their rivals here in Manchester after picking up another big nod in the travel industry.

Although Liverpool’s airport may not be as big and busy as Manchester’s, the main Merseyside terminal was named as the best in the UK according to Which? for 2024, and it’s by no means the first time they’ve picked up the accolade.

Having picked up the same award in 2023 and being rated highly by many other bodies for many years, it’s yet another thing for Scousers to be very proud of in their city and, in fairness, Manchester Airport hasn’t had a great week. As a result, the ever-modest Liverpudlians were gracious in their victory…

Just kidding, they wasted no time in putting together a quick little celebratory poster on their socials that’s turned out to be a bit of a meme at Manchester Airport’s expense.

Touché, John Lennon – not the actual one, obviously.

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Yes, the historic rivalry between Manchester is fiercely fought as it is long-standing. As they rightly put it, they have The Beatles, we have Oasis; they have Liverpool and Everton, we have City and United, but when it comes to airport experiences, they have the clear edge.

Having become the UK’s only airport with a five-star rating from the world’s leading air travel intelligence back in 2019, Liverpool John Lennon has maintained a sterling reputation ever since and the most recent independent survey of passengers found that they top satisfaction levels across the board.

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Which? polled over 4,000 customers, with 83% of them labelling it a “first-class experience from start to finish” and also giving them the best rating for bag drop, passport control, baggage reclaim, staffing, toilets and more. The single terminal also boasts just an 11-minute waiting time to get through security.

Conversely, they named Manchester Airport the worst in the UK for 2023 and still in the top 10 UK for the longest waiting times, with the majority of Manc flyers in agreement that terminals one and three are still in need of significant updating after around £440 million was invested in T2 last year.

@the.manc Flying from terminal 3 at Manchester airport do be that way 😂 Credit: @ThatBitch #manchesterairport #terminal3 #relatable #manchesterthings #holiday ♬ original sound – The Manc

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So yeah, we can still strongly argue the case that we have the music, food, football and plenty of other things here in Manchester, but it’s fair to say that Liverpool John Lennon is currently the superior place to fly from.

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In fact, Manchester Airport had to issue a mass apology to passengers who had flights delayed or cancelled full stop following a major power cut last week.

Hey, we can’t be good at everything, but we’ll get there.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Brit in Seoul (via Wikimedia Commons)/Mike Peel

Travel & Tourism

This Manchester suburb has just been named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2024

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Didsbury named one of the best places to live in the UK

An annual poll has named the Manchester suburb of Didsbury spot among 70 locations said to be the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.

Greater Manchester has got lots to say for itself, especially with its diverse and unique cultural landscapes, as well as various vibrant communities, so it comes as no surprise that one of our beautiful suburbs has been voted in a list of the UK’s happiest places to live for this year.

The survey included submissions from 5,000 people and there’s a lot of love being shown to the neighbouring areas of Yorkshire like Doncaster, Bingley, and Harrogate – the lattermost placed in second in the entire country.

But, ranking 62nd out of a possible 70 places, the distinct and vibrant area of Didsbury has been noticed by Furniturebox as one of the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.

Credit: The Manc Group

The results took into consideration good state schools, affordable housing, as well as accessibility to pubs, bars, restaurants, independent shops, retailers and more.

With multiple parks, walking destinations, and top-notch travel links with Bee Network trams and buses easily taking you back into the city centre and out to other boroughs, East, West and Didsbury Village all remain some of the most sought-after areas in the region.

There’s a whole host of indie retailers to enjoy, especially on the likes of the main high street and Burton Road, which effectively serves as its own cultural district, home to vintage clothing shops like Steranko, tailored styling opticians Fox Brothers and much more.

Burton Rd also boasts countless fantastic food and drink spots like The Great Kathmandu, SANTÉ, Volta and Proove Pizza, just to name a few; we’ve spent plenty of time just on this stretch of Didsbury alone.

If you’ve spent even a little time in Dids, you’ll know there’s plenty going on and it’s certainly one our happiest places in all of Greater Manchester and therefore the UK.

You can also enjoy the famous ‘Didsbury Dozen’ right on your doorstep.

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Elsewhere, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Shakespeare’s ever-romanticised hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon once again reigned supreme at the top of this list.

That being said, it’s refreshing to see that these locations weren’t entirely related to wealth and similar factors, the survey took affordability into careful consideration.

Cheshire was destined for success with its cracking views and grand properties, as the North West county made waves for the region managing to place in fifth position, holding up against Falmouth in Cornwall which placed in sixth.

Although not nabbing that all-important top spot, Didsbury is carrying the flag for 0161 and showing what all know to be true: Northerners do it best.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – The Manc Group

Travel & Tourism

A Greater Manchester town could be set to get a train station for the first time in 60 years

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It’s been a whopping six decades, but the residents of one local town could soon be able to hop on a train out of there.

That’s because a planning application for a brand-new £32 million station in Golborne – which would connect the Greater Manchester town, in the Wigan borough, to the rail network for the first time in more than 60 years – has been submitted to Wigan Council, meaning connectivity is finally one step closer to becoming reality.

In case you didn’t know, Golborne currently has no direct bus, train, or tram services to Manchester, and Leigh is the biggest town in England without a rail station, while the wider area is the largest and most-populous area in Greater Manchester not connected to the rail network.

The milestone aims to boost access to jobs and opportunities for people in the town and the wider Wigan borough.

According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Golborne station scheme forms part of a wider ambition to bring eight commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028 – of which “significant investment” has been put into.

The application includes plans for a new accessible two-platform rail station, including step-free access throughout with a footbridge across the tracks and lifts to both platforms, a new hourly service between Wigan and Manchester Victoria, and onwards to Stalybridge, an improved town centre car park, and also new walking and cycling links to the town centre.

The submitting of the proposals comes after nearly 3,000 people had their say on the station earlier this year, with more than 90% of respondents supporting the plans.

A CGI of what the proposed new Golborne station could look like, if plans are approved / Credit: TfGM

If the plans are approved by Wigan Council, work on the site should begin in 2026, according to TfGM, with the new station scheduled to open in 2027.

Mayor Andy Burnham called the submitting of the proposals a “transformative step” for the region.

“It has taken a huge effort to get us to this point,” he explained. “But we have finally reached a major milestone on the journey to reconnect Golborne to the rail network for the first time in over 60 years.

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“The proposal is based on extremely sound evidence and huge progress has been made with a planning application being submitted and overwhelming support from local residents.”

Featured Image – TfGM

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