Have you got flights to or from Manchester Airport booked for the next week or so? You might be wondering what to do as snow is forecast in the area soon.

As an Arctic blast sweeps the UK, you might see more of the white stuff in your area as temperatures continue to be low.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice covering Manchester today (January 16) as well as January 17 and 18.

This could affect your journey to and from the airport and possibly even affect flights.

To help you out, Manchester Airport has shared some advice to help passengers stay safe in snow and icy conditions.

How to plan your journey in snowy weather

While Manchester Airport says it goes to great lengths to reduce the effects of snow and ice, you still might find your journey will be more difficult.

Look out for communications from the airport and your airline

You will be notified of any significant changes to your flight by your airline so keep an eye out for that.

Check your emails and follow your airline on social media for updates. If you have your airline’s app downloaded, you can also receive alerts that way.

If Manchester Airport’s airfield was forced to close due to the weather conditions, it would post updates to its account on X (formerly Twitter) including when it closes and when it reopens.

It promises to share regular updates if that was to occur so passengers can look out for their posts on the social media platform.

Plan your journey and allow extra time for delays

The airport suggests keeping an eye on travel news and planning your journey before leaving as snow and ice can disrupt road and rail networks.

Google Maps and Apple Maps are just some of the apps that offer live traffic conditions and specific rail operators and Trainline updates you if your journey has been affected by the weather.

Travel is likely to be slower when wintry conditions hit so make sure to factor in more time for your journey as you may need to de-ice your car but also because traffic could be slower, trains could be delayed and even walking could take longer.

If you’re making your way to the airport by car, take supplies with you in case you have lengthy delays, a breakdown or you get stuck.

Manchester Airport advises that you pack:

  • A drink
  • Food
  • Blanket
  • Warm clothes
  • Torch (wind up ones won’t run out of batteries)
  • Screen wash
  • Phone charger
  • De-icer
  • Demisting pad
  • Warning triangle
  • First aid kit
  • Shovel

How to drive safely in snow and ice

Be careful of slippery surfaces

We all know that snow and ice makes for slippery surfaces so you’ll need to take extra care whether you’re driving or walking in these conditions.

The airport grits all the walkways and car parks regularly and monitors them throughout the day.

Dress for the weather

While jetting off to a warmer country can make the idea of a coat, hat, scarf and gloves seem excessive, there’s always a possibility that they’ll come in handy on your trip to and from the airport.

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You might end up stuck in traffic or have to wait for your train so you might be thankful you wore a coat.

Appropriate footwear will help too as you may need to walk from a car park to the airport terminals.

Be prepared to come back home to cold weather too even if you’ve spent your holiday sunbathing.