Does Manchester Airport have an arrivals lounge?

The airport accepts plenty of overnight flights, so where can you freshen up?

Manchester is not a transit hub, but it does have a good number of overnight flights. From the East, you have flights in from Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai landing in the morning. From the West you have US flights landing from Virgin, and Aer Lingus. All operate Business Class cabins. Two flights from Doha land before breakfast, plus one from Abu Dhabi and another from Dubai.

Arrivals lounge at Manchester Airport

Firstly, the bad news. Manchester does not have a designated arrivals lounge. Nor does it allow passengers who are arriving on a flight to access any of the airport lounges, unless you have a valid connecting ticket.

If you do have a connecting flight, there are three lounges in T2 that you can pay to access. You can also access them based on your frequent flyer status, or ticket type (for example, if you’re travelling in Business Class or First Class).

Unlike Heathrow, which is awash (no pun intended) with shower options and arrivals lounges, it is decidedly more challenging at Manchester.

Showers at Manchester Airport

At the time of writing, no lounges at Manchester Airport have showers.

Terminal 3 hasn’t had any passenger showers since the old British Airways lounge closed, just after the pandemic. That terminal is now solely used by the low-cost carrier Ryanair.

Terminal 1 is now effectively closed, and no flights depart from the terminal. Parts of the building will end up being used by Terminal 3, and it’s possible some of the older lounge spaces will be repurposed.

This is likely to be an Escape lounge, which is the in-house lounge brand for MAG, the parent company of Manchester Airport. Escape Lounges cater to the leisure market and typically do not include showers.

Terminal 2 is the primary terminal at Manchester Airport. Every airline except Ryanair flies from here, and it’s coming to the end of an expansion programme.

At the time of writing, there are no lounges in the terminal with showers; however, Emirates is due to launch a dedicated lounge here. Their previous lounge in T1 did have shower facilities (there were four in that lounge), so it’s possible that their new lounge will have the same.

To confirm, as of November 2025

• T3 no longer has any lounges.
• T2 has no lounges with showers.
• T1 has closed.

What other arrival options are there at Manchester Airport?

There are a number of hotels at the airport, with one (The Radisson) accessible via a walkway. This is the easiest and fastest hotel to get to from T2 arrivals; however, it only accepts overnight stays with check-in times from 2pm. That makes it a poor fit for someone needing a couple of hours to freshen up after a morning arrival.

Hotels at MAN that you can rent during the day

Four other hotels around the airport do allow you to pay for daytime access:

1. The Holiday Inn is the next closest hotel to the airport. It’s a five-minute walk from the Terminal 2 exit, although part of this walk is outside. Rates start at £80 for a 7am to 3pm booking, and as you’ll get a regular hotel room it also means you’ll get a shower. We stayed here before an early morning flight and found it it to be a small, but decent, hotel.
   
2. The Double Tree is a short taxi ride from the terminal. It allows booking from 8am to 4pm, with prices starting from £75. It’s another well-regarded brand.
   
3. The Crowne Plaza is the furthest hotel that still sits on the Airport campus. Day use bookings start at 9am and run to 5pm, meaning that if you’re landing at 7am it could be too late for you. Prices start at £90, and you’ll need to get a taxi to get to the hotel.
   
4. Just off campus is the Delta Hotel. Day use starts at 10am, meaning it’s less useful if you’re arriving on an early flight. Prices start at £95, and due to its location, you’ll need to use a taxi to get there.

For a really budget option, try the Premier Inn, just on the edge of the airport. There are actually two hotels side by side, and it’ll take around five minutes in a taxi from T2 arrivals.

Whilst the hotel doesn’t offer a day rate, you could book a room for the night before you arrive. Rates are as low as £41, and with check-out at 12noon, you could grab a few hours in there to have a shower. One additional benefit that you’ll get over paying for a day rate is that you’ll get breakfast included.

Conclusion: No arrivals lounge, showers are challenging

Manchester isn’t a great airport if you’re landing overnight and want to get set for the day ahead. The hotel options are a little fiddly, but nevertheless, they are doable.

When the new Emirates lounge opens, that might give us the only shower option at Manchester. However, you have to be taking off on an Emirates flight to use it for free (and within a premium cabin, or have the right status on Emirates Skywards).

If you are landing in Manchester and need to use a shower or have a quick nap, the easiest option would be to either arrange an early check-in at the hotel you’re due to stay at (assuming you’re staying in the city) or book that room from the night before to make sure you have early access.