The choice of where to fly from has never been greater, particularly for those flying on a package holiday. For each port, we looked at the facilities (e. g. restaurants, waiting areas, etc. ) offered before going through passport control (land-side) and after going through passport control (air-side).
Heathrow 4
The cheek-in hall is spacious and modern. There are few land-side shops but the essentials are available. A car6 with pine seating and a medium range of hot dishes and salads is situated upstairs. There are more facilities air-side. The shops are clustered into the central part of the 500-metre long hall, and expensive ranges are well represented. There's plenty of natural light from the windows that overlook the runway and lots of seating away from the shopping area.
Manchester 2
The check-in hall has a high glass roof which lets in natural light. The café is at one end and slightly separated from the rest of the facilities, which makes it much more pleasant. There's also an up-market coffee shop. Hundreds of seats—little used when we visited despite the passengers crowded below—are available upstairs. The departure lounge is bright and has plenty of space, and the cafeteria is pleasant.
Stansted
Passengers can walk in a straight line form the entrance, through the check-in to the monorail that takes them to their plane. Land-side, there's cluster of fast food outlets that sell baked potatoes, American burgers and filled rolls. All seating is in the same area away from the check-in and shops. There're a surprisingly small number of shops considering Stansted's claims to be a major London Airport, although basic stores like a chemist and bookshop are here. The large departure lounge has blue seats and grey carpet. There's a large tax-free and luxury goods shopping area and a café.
Heathrow 2
Avoid traveling from here if you can. The check-in area is unpleasant with a claustrophobic low roof and scores of pillars. The upstairs cafe is noisy because it is next to the music shop. The departure lounge is also too small with illuminated advertisements hanging from its low ceiling.
Manchester 1
The large, low check-in hall is the least impressive part of the terminal. Beyond that is a pleasant shopping mall with a wide range of shops and snack bars. The self-service eating area has a good range of foods from steak and chips to salads. There is also a more formal restaurant mostly used for business lunches. The departure lounge is large and bright.
Edinburgh
The eating options range from a coffee shop to a self-service restaurant and a reasonable variety of shops are scattered around the land-side area rather than being collected in one area. The air-side food arrangements are mainly limited to rolls and buns.
East Midlands
The check-in area is in a long, low building where the roof is supported by a forest of pillars which interrupt the line of vision. There is a cafe and bar upstairs along with a pizza restaurant during the summer. The main eating area is downstairs and mainly serves sandwiches and cakes along with a hot dish of the day. The departure lounge is pleasant with natural light and plenty of dark blue seats. The Sherwood Lounge has easy chairs and sofas and is aimed at commercial travelers.
Cardiff
The facilities are simple and the decoration is showing its age. Shopping is extremely limited with only bare essentials available. There are no books or magazines for sale. The restaurant is unappealing. The tiny departure lounge is dark and uninviting.
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