TA '18 – Travelling to Salford/Manchester

Airport & transfers

Manchester International Airport is located 11 miles south of Manchester city centre and 12 miles south-east of MediaCityUK. The postcode for SatNav is M90 1QX.

There are three Terminals and airlines operate from different ones. You can check which Terminal your airline uses on the airport website.

You can download maps for each Terminal here.

Train

There is a train station at the centre of the airport, about a 10 minute walk from Terminals 1 and 3.

Trains run between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly train station every 10-15 minutes, 7 days a week, and journeys take around 20 minutes. 

Tickets can be bought at the train station, or pre-booked through National Rail Enquiries.

Tickets bought on the day of travel can be expensive, so try to book in advance if possible. 

Tram

The airport tram stop is located close to the train station, near Terminals 1 and 3.  Trams run around every 15 minutes between Manchester Airport and Victoria train station, via Cornbrook tram stop, where you should change for trams going to MediaCity.  The last tram departs around 11pm on weekdays, and may end earlier on weekends. Check the TfGM webpage for current timetables.

You should allow at least 1hr 30mins to travel between MCUK and the airport by tram, and at least 2 hours travel between the city centre and the airport. See "Travel by Tram" for more details on using the Metrolink tram system.

Private taxi hire, ‘black’ cabs and Uber

Arrow Cars are the airport’s private taxi hire partner, and have customer service desks in the Arrivals areas of each Terminal, as well as the train station. Arrow taxis can be booked online, by app, and phone.

Hackney cabs, also called ‘black’ cabs, can be found at taxi ranks at each Terminal.  Most black cabs only accept payment in cash; some accept debit cards.  Ask your driver what payment they accept, and if they can provide a business receipt, before boarding.

UBER taxis are not permitted to collect or drop off passengers at the airport.

Car hire at the airport

Most car rental companies at Manchester Airport are based out of the Manchester Airport Car Rental Village, which can be reached via dedicated, free of charge buses that depart from each Terminal every 10 minutes.  Passengers should not attempt to walk there, as there are no pavements.

Companies operating here include Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Europcar, Budget and Enterprise.

Railway connections

You can plan your train journey and buy tickets via National Rail Enquiries.

Manchester is served by three train stations:

Manchester Piccadilly is the main station and connects Manchester with major cities across the UK.  Train operators include Virgin Trains, Northern, TransPennine and Grand Central.

Manchester Victoria connects with the north of England including Liverpool.  Trains are operated by Northern or TransPennine.

There is also a smaller station on Oxford Road, which connects to north Wales, Liverpool, Chester and Leeds.

It's easy to board Metrolink trams at either Piccadilly or Victoria. Both stations have Metrolink stops inside them. 

Some trains also stop at Salford Crescent and Salford Central stations and it's easy to connect to The Quays by bus from there (either number 50 or 53).