Getting from Manchester airport to York by taxi option

If you are looking at going via Dublin on Aer Lingus could you fly to Leeds Bradford airport instead? Much closer to York than Manchester. You could also go to Leeds with KLM via Amsterdam.

Nametaken, that is another option for sure, thanks for bringing it back up. I just looked into it and Aer Lingus offers a possibility for us, but the only downside I guess would be a longer layover in Dublin (3 hours- shortest trip trip back is 12 hours total) vs. Manchester. I think I am going to need to decide if arriving closer to our destination through either of these northern airports is worth forfeiting a non stop flight to LHR through either Virgin Air or British Air.

We’d spend the last night in the airport departure city, too, before the next day fly out. On the one hand we haven’t visited Manchester or Leeds, so I am also wondering if seeing a bit of one of those cities would be more interesting or going back to a part of London we didn’t get to see for an afternoon/evening would be better.

Lots to consider, and I don’t want to over-examine. We’re novice flyers and haven’t done a lot of connecting flights. Thanks so much for your thoughts.

the airport transfer challenges out of Manchester

What challenges do you foresee? Basically it’s walk from plane to train and get off at York.

@Camborne2018- On the earlier thread we have established that on a SUNDAY it is not that straightforward. There is a long, long, past discussion on the matter.

There is almost always a change of train somewhere on a Sunday nowadays (didn't used to be), and very frequent bus substitutions for part route due to the ongoing route modernisation.

Whether that will all be history by 2025 and direct Sunday trains restored no-one knows.

While I think all of that is still simple and not a problem at all, I am used to it. The OP isn't used to it and is not all that happy at the prospect, with luggage and jet lagged. Last weekend I saw the bus transfer process at Piccadilly in action and it was all very slickly done at Stop A on the station approach, but last weekend for York it was a change of bus at Huddersfield. So it was train-bus-bus-train.

Leeds vs Manchester vs Heathrow has also been debated to a standstill. Those of us who live in the North of England say MAN or maybe LBA, those from the US equally adamantly say Heathrow every time.

I really hedged in bringing this topic back up because it has been discussed so much before!
I think it will all work out regardless of which place to fly into. Maybe I will be really lucky and get a great price on a flight that will tip the scales!

Stuart, the trains from Kings Cross north on Sunday mornings. Are they as susceptible to changes/disruptions as the other stations from MAN piccadilly or Leeds? If we decided on flying into a northern airport and pre booked a taxi, we could avoid the worry of the trip to York being altered/lengthened flying into LHR.

Ultimately that is the problem of using LHR. Sunday is a key engineering day anywhere on the rail network so London to York is just as likely to be affected as MAN to York.
Or the tube or Elizabeth line route into London could be affected by engineering.

A year out we just do not know.

If Kings Cross is closed then people are put on an overcrowded East Midlands Train from St Pancras to Bedford then bussed back across to the East Coast. My own solution there would be to use the slower, less crowded, Thameslink trains to Bedford, but it could still be that bus in the middle.

I can't remember whether you were originally offered the option of the Tram from Manchester Airport to Manchester Victoria then the Northern or TPE train from Victoria to York, if the Picc route is affected by engineering work?

One through rail route from Manchester to Leeds will always be open. Likewise there will always be an open rail route from Leeds to York as there are multiple opportunities.

You take the transfer decisions you need to take.

On the earlier thread we have established that on a SUNDAY it is not that straightforward. There is a long, long, past discussion on the matter.

I really should pay more attention. Maybe when I retire and I have plenty of time to waste I will do better research.

I think with so many folks asking about this particular question recently (and not so recently- I have searched the history on several travel forums- it’s historically popular) - we all meld together lol. It wasn’t me offered a choice as of yet. But, I make no promises that it won’t be me later :)

Been doing a bit of digging around about this afternoon and want to ask about the ease of returning a car to either of the Northern airports, just to factor in another piece. We are planning on renting a car (through Arnold Clark) in York to use when we go to the second base of our trip, Grassington. In terms of dropping off the car on the day before we head home, would one city be easier to drop off the car before going to the town to spend the last afternoon-evening than the other? Google maps shows me it’s about 1:30 from Grassington to Manchester, an hour to Leeds.

@Mustlovedogs, forgive me if this option has been previously discussed and dismissed elsewhere, but I see that United has direct flights from Dulles to Edinburgh. You could fly into EDI, take the tram or bus to Waverley Station, and get a train to York from there. The ScotRail app is showing direct trains (no changes) running on Sundays that take approximately 2.5 hours.

NancyG, that’s another option that was suggested early on when I was pondering this, but I had forgotten about it! The Edinburgh nonstop didn’t show up when I just searched in March next year, but I realized it is bc it’s a seasonal route- starting in April 2024. I assume it’ll be the same for 2025. It’s weird though. They don’t offer any premium economy seats, only basic and business that I can see. Is that option offered after you book economy I wonder? It’s not a deal breaker, Aer Lingus doesn’t have that option either, but it would be nice to find a flight that ticks all the boxes. We flew economy class United into London last summer and it wasn’t great- my son was very cramped and kind of miserable. Thanks for reminding me of another option. If we chose that one I could return the car where we got it at York at the end of our trip, too. Take the train to Edinburgh early and spend part of a day in a city we haven’t been to yet.

At Manchester Airport Arnold Clark is not at the Airport Car Rental Village- they are off site at the Ringway (the old name for the airport) trading estate. That one is easy, nice roads to Colne Boundary Mill (which oddly only cropped up a few days ago), then motorway/freeway almost all the way.
From the drop off the tram from Shadowmoss tram stop into the airport, or they will shuttle you in to the airport. And they are open on a Sunday.

At Leeds they don't have an airport branch- there are 2 branches- one on the outskirts of the city centre (open Sundays) and one at Nether Poppleton (just outside York- closed Sunday, presumably where you are picking it up from, with a transfer from York Station).

You can read my mind from that description.

Mustlovedogs - if you do decide on a taxi to York then LBA will be a better option as it’s a lot nearer York than MAN. LBA has poor public transport options but a taxi would be fine.

Also remember that if you choose an Aer Lingus flight via DUB then you have the priceless advantage going home of US pre-clearance meaning you arrive back in the US as effectively a domestic passenger and therefore no long immigration process.

Johnew52, I remember learning about that from you, thank you. That is a nice perk! We were in a long line last trip going through that process at IAD on the return trip. It was kind of sad when the agent looked at me and said, “you look tired and ready to go home :)” Getting out of that goes in the “pros” for the Aer Lingus option. :)