Visiting the lowest-ranked lounge at MAN
Manchester Airport has a lounge problem: there aren’t enough. It turns out that moving every premium airline to Terminal 2 has brought in a lot of passengers who, through status or their travel class, want to sit in a lounge. That’s Emirates, British Airways, Qatar, Finnair, and many more. That means passengers on some airlines will be sent to the Aspire, which, according to Google reviews, is the worst lounge at the airport.
What is the lounge issue at T2
In late 2025, many airlines moved from Terminal 1 to the newer Terminal 2. This happening was years in the making, and whilst the airlines moved in batches over a two-month period, we’ve ended up with far too few lounges for many premium passengers.
Whilst MAN is heavy on the low cost carriers (Easyjet, Ryanair), it still retains a healthy amount of premium airlines: Emirates, Etihad and Qatar all fly to the Middle East. British Airways flies multiple times a day to London with a (Euro) business cabin. Turkish Airlines flies three times a day to Istanbul.
The hardest hit airline was Emirates, which had its own dedicated lounge at Terminal 1. It was an old lounge, but still a great space, and I managed to review it just before it shut down. Right now, Emirates passengers have to use a contract lounge but the good news is that they will have a dedicated space at T2 later this year.
At the time of writing, there are just three lounges at Terminal 2. That might sound like a lot, but it’s not. They’re bursting at the seams, and they’re all paid-for lounges, meaning that anyone can gain access to them.
Most of the seats in these lounges are being taken up by premium passengers, reducing the income that the airport gets from charging regular passengers for access. It’s not ideal for the airport or for fliers. It could, and should, change soon with the opening of the Emirates lounge, and the upcoming premium passenger lounge.
Where is the Aspire at Manchester T2?
The lounge is located in a corridor as you walk from the main body of the terminal to the B gates. It feels hidden away and easy to miss. I get the feeling that the airport didn’t really want them be there. The lounge is so small that it has the same footprint as some of the bathrooms at the airport.
It’s also a little challenging getting back from the lounge if you’re flying from A or D gates. You have to walk further towards B, and then turn a corner to use either the lift or the stairs to get back to the terminal. That path will return you to the main passenger area.
Entry to the Aspire
The Aspire opens at 4am and closes at 10pm, covering almost every flight time from Manchester T2.
If you’re flying with any of the following airlines, either in Business Class or you have airline status that allows lounge access, you’ll use the Aspire lounge.
- Air Canada
- Austrian Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- Finnair
- Lufthansa
- Swiss
- TAP
- Turkish Airlines
You can see a full list of which airlines use which lounges at Manchester Airport.
I paid for entry to this lounge. It cost me £46.99 for one person, booked three weeks before entry.
I made the mistake of booking this lounge online using the time I expected to arrive there, whereas the online booking process was really asking me for my flight time. Rather than being able to access the lounge at 6:45am, they gave me a slot from 4am for a 6:45am. I tried to change this, emailing them twice (no reply) and calling them twice (no one answered).
Picking the wrong time was my mistake, but their lack of response was frustrating. This set me up for what was going to be the weirdest lounge experience I’ve had. As it turned out, the wrong arrival slot was the least of my worries.
No photos!
Before I walked into the lounge, I took a couple of photos of the signage and entranceway. I took these outside the lounge and stood in the airport hallway. A staff member rushed out and told me that I “just can’t do that”. At this point, I was really sure what was happening and said that I had paid for entry to the lounge.
They apologised, saying they had just turned away a passenger with a lounge pass and they thought that was me. They let me in, then blamed another staff member, who said to me, “I’m just doing my job”.
My 7am brain was not in the best place to understand what was going on. I found a seat, got settled and then wandered over to the food area. This is when it became a lot clearer.
I started taking a photo of the food counter, with no staff members or lounge patrons in the shot, when another staff member came over and said I couldn’t take photos and had to delete what I had taken.
She said there was signage saying no photos, which is fair enough, though you do become blind to all the signs in public places. I hadn’t noticed any signs.
It was clear that the staff had been told they had to jump on any photography, pronto. Was this down to privacy? Fears of reviews? It’s hard to say. There was no mention of the photograph rule in the booking process, email confirmation or any other comms from them.
It’s confusing because Aspire does wants you to take photos. Their Instagram says, “Tag us and use #AspireLounge to be featured”.
To aid this review, I’ve used some imagery from the Aspire website itself.
What’s it like inside?
The Aspire is small and dark. There are limited views across part of the airport, but the window doesn’t run across the whole of the lounge, so if you’re seated towards the back, there’s zero natural light. Dark wood tables and dark grey walls don’t help. It’s not an ugly lounge, nor is it particularly unclean; it’s just not bright or welcoming.
Despite its relatively small size and the number of airlines that are using it, there were plenty of tables available when I arrived. Although it’s tiny, they split up the lounge quite well into sections, although some of the tables are very close together. It’s ultimately an awkward footprint foisted on them by the airport.
I have never seen so many staff members in a small lounge. I counted six people working in a space that could hold forty people max. At the competing 1903 Lounge, they had roughly the same number of people working there despite being three times the size. That means that tables get cleared quickly.
Food and drink at the Aspire lounge
I arrived at around 7:15am. There was a self-service breakfast area off to the left-hand side of the lounge, which also housed the manned bar. The self-service coffee machine was in the centre of the lounge.
The food options were fine: not as premium as the 1903 lounge, and with fewer options than the Escape lounge. On offer was pretty standard breakfast fare: bacon, sausage, eggs, beans, mini-hash browns and tomatoes. They did not look the most appetising, but if you are getting this for free it’s better than nothing. The cold options were pastries, yoghurts and cereals.
There’s also a paid-for menu with dishes ranging from £4 (for a side) to £8 (for a main). That feels cheap but remember it’s a supplement.
Facilities at the lounge
Due to its size, there’s not a lot going on within this lounge. There are no bathrooms, so you’ll have to leave the lounge and use the facilities in the main terminal. Even the larger 1903/Escape Lounges don’t have their own dedicated bathrooms, although they are relatively close to facilities.
There are screens showing flight times in the lounge, and you can access the free Wi-Fi.
The verdict on the Aspire Lounge
- If you get access to this lounge for free by flying in business class, this lounge will be fine if you want to sit somewhere for an hour. Not great, certainly not outstanding, just fine.
- If you want to pay for a lounge at MAN, then I’d highly recommend using the Escape lounge. It’s roughly the same price, but better in every way.
Do not, under any circumstances, pay £47 to access this lounge. It is not worth it.
It’s hard to detach the terrible welcome from the overall experience, but I’ll do my best.
This lounge isn’t worth £47, any more than most lounges are not. You can go to any airport restaurant and get better food for less. If you do want to pay for access to a lounge, then there is a better option in the Escape lounge. It’s bigger, has marginally better food options, better views, and is a nicer space to sit in. Neither lounge has a true premium offering. The nearby 1903 Lounge is more elevated, but again, not a true premium.
Apsire at Manchester T2 review
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