Manchester Airport is to get a new range of state-of-the-art, GPS-enabled trolleys from April this year, the airport has announced.
The new trolleys will be lighter, easier to manoeuvre, and will use GPS to ensure that “hotspot” areas are always adequately stocked.
Manchester Airport is investing more than £1 million in the news trolleys, which will replace the current fleet that has been in service since the 1990s.
But passengers may not be too pleased with the new fleet of modern trolleys, as the airport plans to charge £1 or €2 to use them.
“Making multi-million pound investments in the airport when the costs of air fares are reducing, means that airports can’t continue to provide services like trolleys for free,” said Julie Armstrong, Customer Services Director for Manchester Airport.
“We know that charging for trolleys will not be a popular decision, which is why we are following the advice of consumer groups and informing passengers before they get to the airport.”
To ensure customers know about the charges for the new trolleys, Manchester Airport will include information on its website, inform airlines and travel agents, and use social media to publicise the charges.
“With around 5 per cent of passengers using trolleys at the moment, this method ensures that only the user pays rather than spread the cost across everyone,” added Ms Armstrong.
Customers will be able to pay for the trolleys using coins, and there will be change machines at all trolley stations around the airport.
For passengers on inbound international flights without any change or cash, there will be the option to pay by credit card at all three international arrivals at the airport.
“Since 2007, we’ve invested over £100 million in creating a modern airport by refurbishing our terminals and upgrading our airfield which is why we are consistently voted as the best in the UK by our passengers,” added Ms Armstrong.
Popular routes to Manchester include:
London to Manchester
Glasgow to Manchester
Birmingham to Manchester
(Image: markhillary)
