Meet Connor Hannon: Hold Baggage Screening Team Leader at Manchester Airport

As a Hold Baggage Screening Team Leader, Connor Hannon oversees a group of colleagues performing a critical role, helping ensure the safety and security of the 30 million passengers that use Manchester Airport each year.  

In this month’s edition of our Life at MAN Q&A series, Connor explains what goes into the role, how Hold Baggage Screening (‘HBS’) teams are trained, and where his dream holiday from Manchester Airport would take him.  

How long have you been working at Manchester Airport? 

I’ve been working at the airport for around six years now. I started as a Security Ambassador in the old Terminal 2, before moving into a role as a Hold Baggage Screener and then taking up my current position as a HBS Team Leader. 

What does your job involve on a typical day? 

My typical day would start with rostering my staff members and figuring out where they will be deployed for the rest of their shifts. Then, I will be supervising the HBS operation, being there to resolve bags which need searching, which means coordinating with airlines and Airport Security. We also work closely with a number of other departments and third parties such as Flow Control, Border Force, the Police and our Engineering teams.  

I’ll also be available to assist with any screening assessments my team has made which require a closer look or a second opinion.  I’ll be responsible for the testing of our scanning machines and if I’m on a night shift I’ll be overseeing the daily testing of all the machines we use, both 3D and 2D, ultimately making sure all of our machines are working as they should – which is critical to the safety of our passengers and our colleagues.  

What skills and training are needed for the role? 

We initially take a four-week Airport Security course and following that we do a further conversion course to make us HBS compliant, so lots of training is involved – plus regular refreshers. For my role specifically, you’d need to take an additional course due to the extra responsibilities we have as Team Leaders.  

As far as skills go, I would say you need good timekeeping, people management and patience when it comes to unexpected events, which can crop up at any time. 

What are the main differences between HBS security and the checks done on passengers and hand luggage? 

Hold baggage is predominantly screened with 3D scanners and we’ve been using these machines for a long time. We are looking at bags that are going into the hold, rather than hand luggage, so we are on the lookout for dangerous goods and prohibited items, as opposed to things like liquids over 100ml which passenger security are more concerned with.   

Hold baggage services are managed by the airlines and their handling agents – how do you work with them to ensure a seamless process? 

We have daily conversations and work very closely together on the planning side, which is key for the successful turnaround of bags being screened.  

The deployment of staff is mainly based on the number of flights checking in, because that will dictate how many bags we need to screen. Knowing when check-in starts, which desks are in use, and how many passengers we are expecting, allows us to allocate our resources at the correct times allowing a smoother process – so communication with airlines and handling agents is key in that respect.  

What do you enjoy the most about working at the airport? 

The thing I enjoy the most is the team I work with here at HBS. There is a real family feel about it, we all look out for each other and I’ve worked with the same people for years, we do an amazing job behind the scenes. 

What one piece of advice would you give to someone considering a career at the airport? 

There is such a variety of jobs on offer, so pick something that will fit your interests and skill set, and so long as you try your best you can achieve great heights, professionally and personally. 

What do you like to do when you’re not at work? 

When I’m not working I like to play computer games, play guitar, make music, listen to music and I am a keen photographer too, I love taking pictures of the outdoors. I’ve recently been blessed with a healthy daughter so all my free time is dedicated to her now. 

Which destination that we fly to from Manchester do you most want to visit? 

I would love to fly to Australia, the wildlife and scenic views are enough for anybody to want to go. And most importantly it’s sunny! You can get there from Manchester via one transfer with many of our Middle Eastern carriers.