Manchester Airport
Getting between Manchester Airport and Manchester, both directions. Pick your terminal below: what serves MAN differs by terminal.
The airport is an ordinary stop on the network, not a premium one. Its tram stop sits in fare zone 4 and prices exactly like any other zone 4 stop, with no supplement, and the usual caps apply. Buses 43 and 103 run on the same terms. Trains stand outside contactless, so buy a ticket first. Terminal 1 has closed, so a page still naming three terminals is out of date.
The best ways into Manchester
Public transport
- Northern Fastest by public transport
- Costs
- Mid-priced
- Takes
- About 20 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by app ticket or paper ticket.
- TransPennine Express
- Costs
- Mid-priced
- Takes
- About 20 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by app ticket or paper ticket.
- Metrolink Airport Line CheapestSimplest
- Costs
- Among the cheapest ways in
- Pay
- Pay by contactless, Bee Card, app ticket, cash or paper ticket.
- Bee Network bus 43
- Costs
- Among the cheapest ways in
- Pay
- Pay by contactless, Bee Card, app ticket, cash or paper ticket.
Taxis and ride apps
- Hackney Carriage
- Pay
- Pay by cash or card.
- Get one
- Take one from the taxi rank, book it by phone or hail one in the street. The pickup point is below.
- Pickup
- Taxi ranks directly outside both terminals and at The Station (the shared rail/tram/bus/coach interchange).
- Street Carspre-booked private hire eb3.autocab.net
- Pay
- Pay by cash, card or monthly invoice.
- Get one
- Book it by phone or in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Pickup
- Manchester Airport's by-taxi page states Street Cars (as 'Manchester Airport's official private hire partner') can be pre-booked online or by phone, or through booking desks located in the arrivals hall of each terminal. What the airport and the operator say about this pickup does not match, so check with the operator when you book.
- UberExpress Pick Up uber.com
- Costs
- Price shown in the app before you book
- Pay
- Pay by in-app payment or cash.
- Get one
- Book it in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Pickup
- Express Pick Up areas in/near the terminal car parks.
- Bolt bolt.eu
- Pay
- Pay by in-app payment.
- Get one
- Book it in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Pickup
- Not at a fixed point: the app shows where to meet the driver once you book.
Every way in and out, in full
Train 2
- How you pay
- Pay by app ticket or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- Station serves both terminals via the covered Skylink walkway: Terminal 2 approx. 10-minute walk, Terminal 3 approx. 5-minute walk
- Worth knowing
- No Bee Network cap or contactless pay-as-you-go coverage applies to this rail service; the standard National Rail Anytime/Off-Peak fare structure applies (a system-wide Anytime/Off-Peak fare simplification took effect 7 December 2025). No airport supplement fare is stated on Northern's or the airport's own pages.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Manchester Airport railway station (shared by Northern & TPE). About 10 minutes on foot from this terminal.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Manchester Airport railway station (shared by Northern & TPE). About 5 minutes on foot from this terminal.
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- How you pay
- Pay by app ticket or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- Station serves both terminals via the covered Skylink walkway: Terminal 2 approx. 10-minute walk, Terminal 3 approx. 5-minute walk
- Worth knowing
- No Bee Network cap or contactless pay-as-you-go coverage applies to this rail service; the standard National Rail Anytime/Off-Peak fare structure applies (a system-wide Anytime/Off-Peak fare simplification took effect 7 December 2025). No airport supplement fare is stated on TransPennine Express's or the airport's own pages.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Manchester Airport railway station (shared by Northern & TPE). About 10 minutes on foot from this terminal.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Manchester Airport railway station (shared by Northern & TPE). About 5 minutes on foot from this terminal.
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Tram 1
- How you pay
- Pay by contactless, Bee Card, app ticket, cash or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- Station stops at Manchester Airport Station/The Station; 5-15 minute walk to terminals depending on which one, via covered Skylink walkway
- Worth knowing
- The airport tram stop is in tram Zone 4 and is charged as an ordinary zonal fare, with no airport supplement, so the ordinary contactless caps apply.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Manchester Airport Station/The Station (Metrolink).
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Manchester Airport Station/The Station (Metrolink).
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Bus & coach 2
- How you pay
- Pay by contactless, Bee Card, app ticket, cash or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- Boards/alights at The Station; Terminal 2 approx. 10-minute walk, Terminal 3 approx. 7-minute walk, via covered Skylink walkway
- Worth knowing
- Bus alone caps at £5.00 a day and £20 a week; once a tram is added the ceiling becomes the bus-and-tram figure for the zones you crossed, which tops out at £9.50 a day and £41 a week across all four tram zones.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at The Station (bus). About 10 minutes on foot from this terminal.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at The Station (bus). About 7 minutes on foot from this terminal.
- How you pay
- Pay by contactless, Bee Card, app ticket, cash or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- Boards/alights at The Station; Terminal 2 approx. 10-minute walk, Terminal 3 approx. 7-minute walk, via covered Skylink walkway
- Worth knowing
- Bus alone caps at £5.00 a day and £20 a week; once a tram is added the ceiling becomes the bus-and-tram figure for the zones you crossed, which tops out at £9.50 a day and £41 a week across all four tram zones.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at The Station (bus). About 10 minutes on foot from this terminal.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at The Station (bus). About 7 minutes on foot from this terminal.
Taxi & ride apps 4
- How you pay
- Pay by cash or card. Card guaranteed.
- How you get one
- Take one from the taxi rank, book it by phone or hail one in the street. The pickup point is below.
- Where to get one
- Taxi ranks directly outside both terminals and at The Station (the shared rail/tram/bus/coach interchange).
- Terminals
- Taxi ranks located outside both terminals (T2, T3) and at The Station; no advance booking required, available 24/7
- Worth knowing
- Set fares apply within the Manchester Licensed Area (shown on the meter); for journeys outside Greater Manchester or 4+ miles from the City of Manchester, a published maximum tariff applies and lower fixed fares may be negotiable with the driver.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Taxi rank outside Terminal 2.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Taxi rank outside Terminal 3.
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- How you pay
- Pay by cash, card or monthly invoice.
- How you get one
- Book it by phone or in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Where to get one
- Manchester Airport's by-taxi page states Street Cars (as 'Manchester Airport's official private hire partner') can be pre-booked online or by phone, or through booking desks located in the arrivals hall of each terminal. What the airport and the operator say about this pickup does not match, so check with the operator when you book.
- Worth knowing
- Street Cars uses the same metered tariff 24/7 for standard journeys, plus separate set/fixed fares for popular destinations including Manchester Airport, Old Trafford and City Stadium.
Serves this terminal directly.
Serves this terminal directly.
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- How you pay
- Pay by in-app payment or cash.
- How you get one
- Book it in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Where to get one
- Express Pick Up areas in/near the terminal car parks.
- Terminals
- T2 and T3
- Worth knowing
- Uber's MAN taxi page notes only that — no specific airport pickup fee amount is stated.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Express Pick Up area, Terminal 2.
Serves this terminal directly. Board at Express Pick Up area, Terminal 3.
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- How you pay
- Pay by in-app payment.
- How you get one
- Book it in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Where to get one
- Not at a fixed point: the app shows where to meet the driver once you book.
- Terminals
- Manchester Airport currently operates two terminals (T2 and T3).
- Worth knowing
- 'You can check the final price of your trip in the Bolt app before requesting a ride, so there are no surprises!' No airport-specific surcharge amount is stated on Bolt's MAN page.
Serves this terminal directly.
Serves this terminal directly.
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Paying on the rest of the network: Manchester guide · Contactless in Manchester