Manchester Airport (MAN)

Manchester Airport is largely smoke-free indoors, but it does provide designated outdoor smoking areas and, crucially, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 both have airside smoking terraces after security while Terminal 3 does not. Your experience here depends almost entirely on which terminal you depart from, so check that before you arrive.

Before Security

All three terminals have outdoor smoking areas landside, accessible before you enter the building or after you exit arrivals. These spots are:

• Terminal 1: Outside the main entrance on the ground floor and near the departures drop-off zone.

• Terminal 2: Outside the main terminal entrance and near the departures drop-off zone. A dedicated area is also outside the arrivals hall.

• Terminal 3: Outside the main entrance and near the short-stay car park entrance. This is your only option if you are departing from T3, so use it before going through security.

All landside areas are outdoors and open 24 hours. Manchester's weather being what it is, some shelter is available at certain spots but do not count on staying dry.

After Security

• Terminal 1: There is an outdoor smoking terrace airside, accessible from the food court area. Follow the signs once you are past the security hall. It is open to all departing passengers with a boarding pass.

• Terminal 2: The airside smoking area is on the upper level of the departures lounge, reached via escalators or stairs near the restaurant zone. A June 2026 traveler report confirms it is large, well-signposted, and easy to find. An older report (2019) placed it downstairs beside gate 212, and another (2018) mentioned gate 300 as a second location, so the exact layout has shifted over the years with the T2 expansion. Follow the signs once airside.

• Terminal 3: No airside smoking area exists. Once you clear security in T3, you cannot smoke until you land. If you need a cigarette after check-in, you must exit the secure zone and re-enter through the full security screening process, which can take 30 to 60 minutes during busy periods. Many travelers flying from T3 deliberately delay going through security until the last practical moment to get one final smoke outside.

Vaping Rules

Vaping, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products are treated identically to traditional cigarettes at Manchester Airport. They are banned everywhere inside all terminal buildings and are only permitted in the same designated outdoor smoking areas. Airport staff actively enforce this. Do not vape discreetly in a corner of the terminal; warnings and fines are possible.

Transit and Layovers

If you are connecting through Manchester and your onward flight leaves from Terminal 3, you face a real inconvenience. One traveler note from 2018 mentions that T3 connecting passengers can walk through to T1 to use the airside smoking area there, but you would then need to re-clear the T3 connections security to reach your gate, which is not recommended unless you have plenty of time. For international arrivals connecting to another flight, you may need to pass through immigration to reach any outdoor smoking area, then re-clear security.

Bottom Line

If you are flying from T1 or T2, you are in reasonable shape with airside terraces available after security. If you are flying from T3, smoke before you go through security and plan your timing carefully.