MANCHESTER Airport bosses used a team of psychologists to help plan a £35m revamp of its shopping area.
The result will be one of the largest `airside' shopping areas in the country, specifically designed to take the stress out of air travel.
According to airport research, passengers can't fully relax until they have passed through the stringent security checks. So now bosses at the airport are to bring forward the security zone in Terminal 1, so that it is directly behind the main check-in hall - freeing the space to create the shopping `experience'.
It will include a 25,000sq ft duty free shop as well as new restaurants and bars.
The new look Terminal 1 will be divided into four distinct quarters including travel essentials and high street stores.
The first phase of the project will see the creation of a large pub, a mezzanine bar and a dining area costing £5m. It should be open by June next year. Meanwhile, `landside' facilities - the shops passengers visit before they are security checked - will be scaled down.
The plans have been developed following an in-depth study by psychologists into passengers' states of mind as they travelled through the airport.
As part of the study, human behaviour researchers scrutinised body language and listened to passengers' comments and conversations. They discovered passengers find the security screening process `extremely stressful', especially after recent changes to security restrictions such as the banning of liquids.
Andrew Harrison, the airport's commercial director, believes the plans to redevelop the terminal, which was opened in 1962 and is used mainly by short-haul European flights, will be welcomed by its 10m passengers a year.
"We're very in touch with our passengers' needs and we're very excited about the start of work on this new, specially-designed airport experience," said Mr Harrison.
"We've carefully designed the zones after the security area to match the specific needs and moods of our passengers and this attention to detail, combined with one of the largest tax and duty free stores in the United Kingdom, will ensure the new Terminal 1 continues to attract passengers to Manchester Airport."
Last year the airport's retail income was £65.5m, which is 17 per cent of the airport's overall revenue.
Tweet
Showing comments 1 to 4 and replies | View All
Mark, South Manchester (22/05/2007 at 11:20)
That's why people today prefer flying from the "newer & simpler laid out" airports!
Compared to Terminal 5 at Heathrow, spending £35 million on Terminal One is a joke. Knock the whole lot down and start again or continue losing out!
David, North Manchester (22/05/2007 at 15:36)
ace, manchester (23/05/2007 at 12:12)
Whatever did we do years ago without these psychologists? The answer (A better way of living) Since we started looking at everything under a microscope our lives have been going downhill by the day.Lets get back to the simple life re-engineer how we live (go backwards) and slow down.
silver fox, Harrogate (02/05/2008 at 21:34)
I had the pleasure of using the terminal this morning and thought I had been transposed into the third world
Signposting is non existent
Lots of lost and confused passengers milling around between arrivals and departures
Terminal is a building site
Impossible to find any food outside of security despite driving 3 hours
When eventually found food is in arrivals consisting of a closed Burger King and a cafe next door selling ham sandwiches which are 3 days old and going brown at the edges. There is an oversized VW laybye special outside seling slightly better stuff and you can enjoy resting this on their trailer wheel in lieu of a table.
The whole place is filthy, dirty lifts, overflowing litter bins and all areas grubby.
The worst terminal I have ever seen , what a disgrace,, what must visitors from other countries think. Hang your head in SHAME, SHAME , SHAME, THIS IS INEXCUSABLE.