If you’re like me and have no idea how to get to and from Manchester airport, then this article is for you! As it turns out, there are plenty of options to actually do it, including one really easy and handy option. The problems arise when you have a flight leaving at 6am and need to get to the airport really early, or at least out of hours. The Manchester to Manchester Airport bus was a lifesaver in this instance, but that may not work for everyone.
This article may contain affiliate links. If you click on those links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you I will get a small commission. This will go a long way toward keeping this website running. As always, thank you for your support! Click HERE for more information.
In this article, I will go over the options you have for transfers from Manchester Airport, and take a look at what you can do when you need to get to the airport out of hours. If you need the answer to this question quickly, simply check the contents menu below and quick scroll straight to your answer!
Table of Contents
- Manchester to Manchester Airport Options
- Early Morning Transfer to Manchester Airport
- Bus
- Taxi or Rideshare
- Welcome Pickups
- Summary
Manchester to Manchester Airport Options
When I first flew into Manchester I had no idea where I was going to go or how to get to Piccadilly in Manchester city. A bit of research online told me that there were trains, so my plan was to look for the signs. As it turned out it was fairly easy. But what about the reverse? Getting from Manchester to Manchester Airport is not exactly complicated – depending of course on the time of day you have to do it!
Train
The train is the best option all round for getting from Manchester to Manchester Airport.
From Piccadilly Station in the heart of Manchester City, you simply need to buy a ticket to the airport. This is really easy to do at the automatic machines. You even have options for payment, and can use cash or card. Trains run regularly, and throughout the main part of the day you will find them departing every 10 minutes or so. The trip takes only 25 minutes.
From Manchester Airport arrivals, just follow the signs for the train station. There are moving walkways for much of the distance, so the walk to the station will only take 5 to 10 minutes.
Manchester to Manchester Airport train tip – When getting a ticket from Piccadilly to the Airport, make sure you use the machine. At first I went to the ticket counter, but the helpful assistant there pointed out that the price was cheaper buying it at the machine. As a visitor to the city, I had no idea about the discount.
Bus
Another option to get from Manchester to Manchester Airport is on the bus. Buses run regularly, and can be the best option for out of hours transfers. See info later in this article for more details.
To get to Manchester city you really have two options. Bus 43 or Bus 103.
The buses to Manchester Airport are run by Stagecoach, who are a really reliable bus service. To make sure of your route and to check timetables, have a look at their site at THIS link.
Are you planning on renting a car or driving when you are overseas? Then make sure you are fully covered by having your International Driver’s Permit. Find out more, or pick one up easily at THIS LINK.
Taxi or rideshare
Taxi’s are always available to get to or from Manchester Airport. But really, unless you have more money than sense, who uses taxi anymore? With so many other options available, I would never personally seriously look at catching a Taxi. Unless of course there is no other option. But – there are ALWAYS options!
If you really do want to catch a taxi, then they will set you back a lot more of your hard earned cash than taking train or bus. They can also be a pain to try to find at times, especially in the wee hours.
Another option is ride share. Basically, Uber. We all know about the great service of Uber, and this is a favorite of mine when other options are either too hard or simply don’t exist. You can pretty much find an Uber anywhere and at any time of day. Sometimes though, there simply may not be any around, and like the taxi, can be unreliable late at night or in the early hours of the morning.
Welcome Pickups
For those that want to negate the hassle of arranging anything, and are fans of private transfers, then Welcome Pickups is for you. This basically IS a private transfer service that you can call upon at anytime, nearly anywhere in the world.
Head on over to THIS LINK, and provide the information for the pickup you require and get an easy quote. It will be a little more expensive than other options, but many people that need a quick, convenient, safe and most importantly RELIABLE transfer to the airport love this option.
Also, with Welcome Pickups you can book your transfer well ahead of time, so no need to wake up on the morning of your flight and be concerned about not finding a ride!
Early Morning Transfer to Manchester Airport
OK. So this article has been heading to this point. This is exactly where I found myself stuck when trying to get from Manchester to Manchester airport in the early hours of the morning. Tell me if this sounds familiar…
I needed to fly from Manchester Airport to Lyon, France. Being a budget traveler, I was happy to be able to take the flight at 6am and save myself half the cost of the later flights. Winning!
It was after I booked the flight that I looked at my transport options. To my horror, the train doesn’t run early enough to get me to the airport at that time of the morning (two hours before my flight), so I was forced to find other options. I looked at Uber, but decided that may have to be my backup, as you can never rely on one being around at 3am.
So what options did I have?
Bus
It was then that I found the Manchester to Manchester Airport Bus service. I downloaded and installed the Stagecoach App, and found the bus I required. I could even buy the ticket the day prior on the app, so that was one thing I didn’t need to worry about.
The issue with catching bus from Manchester to Manchester Airport was that only the two buses run that route. Bus 43 and Bus 103. To catch one of these buses conveniently I had to make sure I was staying in a motel or Air BNB that was convenient to the bus route.
Catching the bus is a good, cheap and reliable option. Even at that time of the morning I had options each hour or so. But finding accommodation in the right place to use the bus meant that in the end, I could have stayed somewhere cheaper and just paid more to utilize another service option.
Taxi or Rideshare
As mentioned above when it comes to taxi and ride share, you are really rolling the dice.
I can honestly say that I didn’t see one taxi during my 15 minute walk to the bus stop, and none passed by when I was at the bus stop. So there may not be many around when you need them in the early hours of the morning.
As for Uber, this can also be the same. I tried once to get Uber at a weird time in Manchester, and had to wait over half an hour as he finished his previous drop off and then made his way to me. I wouldn’t be happy if I was waiting this long and trying to get to the airport to catch a flight.
In this instance, bus is still the best option.
Welcome Pickups
Which brings me back once again to Welcome Pickups. If you book this transfer service ahead of time then all the hassle and guesswork is taken out of it. You can stay where you like, and know the price ahead of time.
Click THIS LINK to get a quote for your next airport pickup.
Summary
Getting from Manchester to Manchester airport by bus is the only really reliable BUDGET option available for flights out of hours. Train is a wonderful transfer option during normal working hours. Otherwise, travelers should look at a private transfer service such as Welcome Pickups to provide a safe, secure and reliable transfer.
Leave a reply