Aspire Lounge Manchester Terminal 2 in Manchester

Absolutely disappointed with the quality and lack of food available 😞 definitely not worth the money. Lounge was poky had to clear our plates ourselves proseco chargeable like alot of drink. Toilet filthy not maintained at all I will not return definitely not recommend.

Business class entry only, waste of space

Staff were miserable and food options were not great, having paid £150 for my family only to have limited options was very disappointing. To have to pay extra for chips and certain drinks after already spending so much is outrageous. I will not be going back to this lounge.

Amazing experience Laurie was lovely 😍

Disgusting walked out after 20 minutes they say you get what you pay for never again also I have advised family and friends not to book pay that bit extra. Wanted a baileys nah had to pay bun was so small and dry just left it dingy little place worst experience I have ever had in a lounge in my opinion spend a little more and book other lounge

My Wife and I had a booking and we were astonished at the attitude of the girl on reception “Natalie” who looked upon us with disdain when processing our booking. As a Priority Pass customer with a firm reservation we don’t expect to be treated like someone lying on the bottom of her shoe. Not only should she not be working in a service based environment with an attitude like hers, she should smarten herself up a bit. We travel regularly through airport lounges often flying BC. Perhaps she could be sent to Aspire T2 Escape or 1903, all of which we have recently used in various capacities and never once experiencing service as shocking as this. A course of serious training is quickly required or she should find herself a more suitable job in a more suitable environment.

so glad that i checked the reviews before i booked the lounge now i will not be booking.

The food and atmosphere left much to be desired! The hostess overcharged us for our infant who was supposed to be admitted free of charge (didn't realize until we got home) and they made us feel unwelcome when our infant was babbling a bit before getting his meal.

Visited 7th May 25. Worst lounge I've been to. Unhelpful older woman on front desk stating lounge expected to be busy and as we hadn't booked (you don't with Priority Pass just based on availability) she was doing us a favour by letting us in 2h10mins before our flight. Same woman came over to us a little later and said I couldn't take photos or video in lounge and that there were signs up saying so (none that we could see). Who doesn't take a photo at an airport lounge with a drink in hand and runway in background??!! Main breakfast food items like sausage and bacon had run out at 10.30am and coffee machine was broken. I was pointed to the coffee machine 50 yards away though as if, aren't you silly for not seeing that... Staff not particularly smart in appearance either and looked rough. Try the other lounges at T2 instead...

Terribly small and pokey lounge. Obviously too small for the enormous new terminal 2 and they will know this. Colour scheme is depressing, lighting is poor. Everything is an up charge- nearly all alcohol and the good food. Nothing is included bar a very limited food choice and tea and coffee. Staff seem to think they’re running a charitable food bank and treat customers accordingly. Stick to the main hall or go to one of the proper lounges.

So if you are travelling from Manchester airport there are only two lounges to choose from. This one is old, tired and small. Limited food and drink selection. Holidaymakers with beers in their hands at 0700 before heading off to crisp in the sun. If that’s your idea of a great start to the day this is your sort of place. Maybe it’s a feature of the airport as there are primarily charter and budget flights to limited sun destinations, with very few scheduled airlines operating out of a UK backwater airport, and it makes no sense to open an airline Lounge for one or two flights a day. Not even enough premium/ frequent travellers on say all star alliance or one world airlines to make it worthwhile. Thus, frequent travellers are forced to use the two leisure travel lounges which are typically of a lower standard. The Aspire lounge does not fail to meet these low standards. Better than no lounge for sure, but not exactly a quiet oasis pre a long flight. More a great place to have a few free drinks before jetting off on a vacation. It caters to its primary customer base.

Very poor service. Showed up with valid access through DragonPass (Visa Airport Companion) and was told access is only for Business and First Class passengers. No attempt to verify anything or offer a solution. If you’re not going to accept lounge programs, don’t pretend you do. Wasted time and completely unwelcoming attitude from the staff.

Just not a good business lounge. The second time, I've used it, and it's disappointed both.

Book this as a special treat for a big birthday on the 15th of April so disappointed the lounge was grey miserable uninspiring just like the f food cold no selection and Poor quality and no selection could have wine or beer had to pay extra if you want it a spirit example a bloody Mary had to ask if the heating was broke down one of the worst lounges have ever ever been to

Almost the worst lounge I've been in and everyone is right about the poor reviews. Busy, limited food and drink, pay extra for spirits and prosecco.

Me and my partner went to Venice so decided to use the lounge. Upon arrival Laurie greeted us and was very helpful. Asked us what drinks we wanted and immediately brought them over. Made our experience great!

Laurie met us at reception with great manners. She was very polite and helped with all our needs. Highly Recommend so thank you Laurie

This is the second time I have used aspire t2 and never again. Congealed food limited choice staff lacking customer service must have been absent when there was training will never use t2 aspire again. Dried up fairy buns a few broken biscuits in a jar. Looks like a second rate cafe. Aspire t1 is much better than this one. I normally use escape or 1903 and next time I travel if they are not available certainly would not use this one again. Not sure why sparkling wine is chargeable when it isn’t in escape why is there a difference

Unfortunately just not worth the money. Feels like being in a basement and you have to pay for most of the food options. If you can get free entry it's OK but the other T2 lounges are better value for money

Thursday 10 4.25, 9am Greeted by a very nice lady. Quickly seated in a spacious area with individual tables. English breakfast was excellent, and lager was cold and coffees hot. There was no overcrowding, it was very relaxing. Would definitely recommend this lounge.

Food ok, staff great, welfare facilties very good. good choice of beverages

Just don't waste your money Not worth it .

Terminal 2 lounge in the mega million£ terminal is: Small, Dismal, dark, chilly with very poor choice of food & drink. Not worth paying for

Packed in like sardines unfortunately. Very limited food choices, we were here for breakfast so it was baps, small amount of fruit and yoghurt and some pastry. Toilets were absolutely filthy and not enogh for the amount of people they are trying to pack in here.

This is a overpriced ripoff Drinks. Sparkling wine extra charge £5 per small glass. Food choice awful cold and crusty hot 3 choices and cheese as cold choice. Awful

I visited the Star Alliance lounge on the afternoon of 24th February 2025. Despite having a Star Alliance Gold card, I was denied entry. The receptionist, a middle-aged woman with limited knowledge, refused to let me in. I showed her my Star Alliance Gold card, but she repeatedly told me, in a condescending manner, “Your card does NOT allow you to use this lounge,” as if I had learning difficulties. I explained that the check-in counter staff had told me I could use the lounge, but she responded, “This is different from the check-in counter!” I did not expect such poor-quality service from Star Alliance, and I was very disappointed. Probably because I’m not English but Japanese, this seemed to heavily affect her behaviour towards me. Later, when I transited through Frankfurt Airport, I went to the Star Alliance lounge there. The receptionist checked my flight ticket, and when I showed my Star Alliance card, he told me I didn’t need to show it because my flight ticket indicated that I was qualified. Am I misunderstanding, or does Aspire Lounge not belong to Star Alliance?

Awful. Women on the desk are on a power trip, determined to ruin everyone's day. Don't bother.

The team / employees you have on the reception for this lounge have the worst attitude of any staff I have ever been unfortunate enough to deal with. They seem to hate people! The lounge is also used as a staff break room with areas taken over by the lounge staff. Worst lounge in Manchester…possibly the world!

Absolutely shocking, do not waste your money, limited food, only certain drinks allowed. Go to escape lounge, much better service and the same cosy. Very dissapointing.

Disappointing Over priced and food selection very poor..

The lounge is small and uncomfortable. There is little space to work on a laptop. The food bar is small and crampy. There is a very limited variety of food available. The pancake machine kept on stalling, requiring staff intervention. There is also offer "premium" food at extra cost. This is nonsense. If I'm in the lounge, it means I've already paid a significant premium (often 2x or 3x the cost of an economy ticket). All food and drink be included in lounge access.

Small, dark lounge with not much comfy seating. Poor food selection. Travelling business class with Swiss airways - they should be ashamed of this dreadful offering.

One of the worst lounges I have seen. Limited seating options, very poor choices of food with poor presentation. Better you stay out in the airport than spending time here.

This must be the worst lounge I have ever been to. You pay your enter then a glass of Prosecco is £5 as is a Bloody Mary. Limited food and what is on offer is congealed slop! Never again

We had booked using Revolute so you don't actually reserve a space it just depends if they have room on the day. My husband had bkd & paid for 2 people yet it was only saying 1, the lovely lady on reception Jasmine let us through as we had the email to show 2 people had been paid for, so lovely as I'm sure many others wouldn't have done this, nice choice of breakfast foods, granola, yogurt, bacon, hash browns, sausage etc then changeover was curry, pasta, salad not massive amount but enough for a light meal before your flight, plenty of drinks on offer too. Would highly recommend & thank Jasmine for being so lovely letting us through.

The food is absolutely shocking, the buffet breakfast was just about warm but the quality was very poor…. We ordered the chicken bits and fries which had been microwaved, soggy and just warm. I wouldn’t have given this to a dog, awful !!!

Dingy little lounge with poor seating. Food options we're pathetic. Walked in and straight back out. A shame as Aspire Lounges in Edinburgh are fantastic.

The worst lounge ever in terms of food and availability. The lounge is almost empty all the time, but they never allow people with unlimited priority passes and lounge key memberships since they are money makers. The Manchester Airport group spent 1 billion GBP on terminal 2 and can't add lounge space. What's the point of paying £399 for priority pass if you can't access the lounge? In the meantime, the lounge needs to show some initiative to accommodate pass holders (even for a short time). When I requested access for 20 minutes (while 40% of the lounge was empty), they wouldn't let me in, especially with a young kid. I'd have given zero ratings if there were any. Out of 12 airport visits, I got access only twice (in the late afternoon).

Got here at 1600h tomato soup all gone, curry / rice warm not hot, bread slices covered with paper, curling up at corners. Small poor choice. Saw several people, paying extra for burgers and chip ! Worst lounge I’ve come across, only redeaming feature , it’s nice and quiet

Do not waste your money, the food was awful and the staff aren’t friendly

Flying to Egypt as a business class traveller and told I had access to this lounge 🫣 .... Possibly the worst premium lounge I have experienced to date 😳 ..... Warning sign at front desk when the unsmiling receptionist told me drinks from bar were not self serve .... Noisy, small, lacking any kind of premium feel and zero service .... Very poor 😔

Small lounge which is frequently oversubscribed and with limited choices. Irritating enough if you’re travelling business, but if you’ve paid for access it would explain some of the frustration being shown by some users

It’s about 8:06 am on Feb 9th , 2025. There were lots of vacant seats but the lady at the reception would not let me in even for a bottle of water. It looks like she only picks the clients the she wants to get inside. What’s the use of having a priority pass at Manchester airport if there are employees at their lounge who judge customers based on their appearance.

The 5 star would be to express my heartfelt gratitude to the staff; Roger and Joanne at the airport lounge for their exceptional service. During my recent visit, I misplaced my child's favorite toy, and the staff went above and beyond to help me find it. Their kindness, patience, and dedication made a stressful situation much more manageable. It's not just about the amenities; it's the people who make the experience truly special. Thank you for your outstanding support!" Here’s a revised version that includes your feedback about the lounge: --- "While I had a lovely experience with the staff, particularly their assistance in helping me find my child's toy, I believe the lounge itself could use some improvements. The food options seemed limited and could benefit from a refresh. Additionally, I felt that the lady at the desk in front of the food area could use some observation in her customer service approach. With a few enhancements, this lounge could offer an even more enjoyable experience for travelers. Thank you to the staff for their kindness; I hope my feedback helps improve the overall atmosphere."

Very poor would not book here again worst food I have ever tasted not much choice either the only good thing was they had pepsi max on draft that didn't cost extra we were there yesterday before our 8.25am flight it was very cold in the building to I was frozen the only reason am gining a one star is because they had pepsi max on draft!! Appalling place never again!! Staff was friendly though. Not worth the £90 I paid for two people we didn't get our moneys worth.

I could not believe that after a total revamp of T2 this is what MCR believe is a business class lounge. Utter disgrace, tired furniture, dull decor, tiny room. Horrible. We went upstairs and paid for something less depressing

First what's the chance of having a flood twice booked here for January 1st 6pm only to say had leak funny enough same senorio happend few years back 🤔 been using lounge for past 15 yrs 3 times a year normally book escape wos not available ridiculous still waiting refund after numerous emails today via web chat said be looking into it best thing for this place is build some more toilet's that's what it's only use for in my opinion too take a dump like place is never book ASPIRE again rather sit on floor in terminal eat pkt salt vinger crisp bottle water

Bad experience from start to finish. Very cramped , seats torn and poor food selection. Took a long time to switch to lunchtime menu , nothing was available as this point and was not completed until after our flight got called to board. Only 2 toilet cubicles for entire lounge to cater for all sexes , the disabled and also baby changing. Sadly noticed same comments 9 months ago were posted and a note from you that you would use the comments to improve…..alas this has not happened …has it !

Horrible horrible customer service. My husband and myself are Dragon Pass holders and were granted entry with a maximum stay of 3 hours. Two hours in our stay, as we are peacefully minding our business, a staff member named Jocelyn comes up to us with another staff lady whose name she wouldn’t say and accuses us of just walking in, asking us who did we check in with and what airline we are flying with. Then further adding that our airline isn’t entitled to the lounge (we fly budget airlines)! She took our boarding passes and then later gave these back after assuming she saw our booking on the system. But truly appalling behavior, came up to us and made us feel like criminals even though we were purely just minding our own business. I have sent an email in regards to a complaint against her, hopefully hear back soon but a warning should be issued against Jocelyn to prevent speaking to customers like this.

Very limited food choices. Still have to pay for Pizza and Prosecco! No nuts or snacks to accompany drinks. Orange juice drink is diluted. WiFi is slow. Toilets are dirty. Place is small. Front counter staff lacks customer services and also talking (and laughing) very loudly. Place is small, a usual Starbucks looks better than this pathetic lounge. Thank god the coffee machine is still working fine!!

Greeted with grumpy face sitting on the chair with her legs crossed and with her phone in hands... and note saying "only business class travellers, sorry for inconvenience." Really? I'm business traveller but all business seats were sold out, so I'm not aloud in even when paying for it. Absolute disaster! Avoid at all cost if you don't want to ruin your start of the day.

Sitting here listening to the the staff shouting and moaning about their rotas is not my idea of a relaxing lounge before we take off. Limited selection of food and unless you can get a seat by the window it's dark and not very inviting. Unlike the rest of the new T2 it's like the lounge was a last minute add on put out of the way in a corner.

An unpleasant older lady at the entrance refused access despite holding Star Alliance Gold status on an Eurowings flight. That said, the location appeared dimly lit and untidy anyway…

By far the worst lounge we have ever visited. When we arrived at around 11:15, we were told breakfast had finished and they were about to change to lunch - fine, but the whole time we were there, the changeover never happened. the young girls told my 10 year old to 'just get what he wants quickly' from the old and stale breakfast buffet. The hot drinks were from a help- yourself canteen style machine that tasted cheap and like the pipes needed cleaning. The toilets were being cleaned and were closed - for 30 minutes. In the end, we left for the main airport toilets and did not return. Don't waste your time.

The worst airport lounge we have been to,avoid if you want to save money, limited choice ran out of food/bread, dirty plates left all over & had to wait for clean cutlery. Only + side was 1 member of staff Emily who was very apologetic & helpful.

The lounge is located in the back and after going all the way, we were told there was no more seats available for business card/ priority pass holders. We could see there were tables available with no reservation sign on it. Worst customer service.

Lounge was fine, not the biggest or most luxurious. Unfortunately, when I saw one of the staff pickup food that had dropped on the floor and put it back on the buffet, that was enough for me to never want to use it again.

A nice place to hang out if u are at Manchestor airport

Pretty poor lounge, WiFi didn't work, food selection limited. They say they are full yet plenty of seats are free. The check in staff don't know if frequent flier gold card holders should be let in. Please give the staff some training!!

I didn't have any experience, the attendant blocked entry because we didn't have a reservation, and the dragonpass app stated clearly that the lounge could be used with or without a reservation. The excuse used by the attendant was that it was crowded, amazingly there were 3 people inside. Deception and false advertising.

Pre-booked with priority pass, ( they do not like this pass at this longue), attitude on front desk was atrocious, extremely rude and unwelcoming, obviously in the wrong job, Food basic Drinks warm Bar staff was friendly which was the only positive I expect a manger will investigate reply but I'm certain no investigation will happen.

Will never book again... Poor value for money. Poor selection and quality of food, not even able to toast bread with breakfast. Basic drinks offered, majority of drinks are charged as an extra premium on top of the £40 you will end up wasting coming in here. Cannot stress enough. Do not book this rip off. Escape lounge billion times better! Would give 0* if possible

Constantly rejected for priority pass!! Said it was fully booked but was empty, I offered to leave if it got busy and they needed the table. The staff obviously have to deal with this all day and had a terrible attitude towards me. Only at Manchester airport do you get rejected all the time.

Tried to get in a 4pm on a Sunday with my priority pass - the guy at the desk was very rude and refused to let us in. He said it was pre bookings only… the lounge was empty!

Well, what can I say. As a regular user of lounges I find this very poor. The lounges in the older T1 are better than this. I’m honestly shocked at how poor the offer is given this is a new terminal. I wouldn’t pay £10 to use this lounge. Might be ok if you are travelling alone or as a couple but it’s very bad for families!

Only pre booked and business class passengers are allowed. No entry for any other cards. It would have been helpful if they mention on Google map or website

Not worth the price - food isn't great at all, with very limited selection and horrible items like tinned tomatoes swimming in juice. Prosecco, cider, and other absolutely non-premium drinks come with an added charge. £5 for a glass of prosecco after paying £25 for entry is crazy. Staff are very friendly and amenable, the only good aspect.

My first visit to an airport lounge as a special treat....ignored by the staff who were standing right in front of us. After a few minutes of being deliberately ignored, eventually I spoke and was greeted with "unless you've got a reservation, you can't come in" without any eye contact!!! I did have a reservation but lucky for me it was actually at the Escape lounge upstairs!!!! Phew!!!

Despite having a priority pass, we were denied entry because they expect a high volume of passengers. Impudence!

Got free access with my flight. The place is dirty, food and drink is awful , basic and very limited. Do not pay to go in here.

Very poor, wouldn’t recommend. We had mouldy bread, which the staff weren’t bothered about. Toilets out of order. Would advise looking elsewhere.

its not often I say awesome! so many of the lounges have tap water in a jug with a toekn slice of lemon or orange, mint or cucumber..they had filtered water, super fresh croissants, bacon , beans , yogurt and berries ..and the best it was empty but they had 70 people booked in an hour later , the guy said "sorry full", the lovely lady supervisor said "let him in for 30 mins " common sense x .. I tucked myself on a stool in the corner , took no room up ... left after an hour Thank you Dragon Pass and Aspire

This is not a lounge, but a basement dungeon. The toilets are dirty, there is something to eat, but nobody knows what the indefinable shape and color of the stuff is supposed to be. The staff doesn't like to talk.

Appalling! The rest of the airport cafes are far better and cost much, much less. This is a tiny room in what feels like a converted cellar. Dark and crowded. Having paid £90+ for two of us I would have expected prosecco to be included but it was £5 a glass. Save your money, it's a massive rip off.

For the amount we paid, I wouldn't return. Very limited food choices and you have to pay for Bailey's and other spirits. We paid £130 for a family of 3. The value for money is shocking! Of all the loungers in this airport, this was by far the worst! Never again.

Absolutely terrible. Limited alcoholic drinks, pay for Prosecco and some spirits. Food was warm and minimal. No snacks. Will be using the Escape lounge next time as we usually do. Don't waste your money here.

The worst lounge at Manchester. Pre-booked three months ahead of departure, arrived to be told they were overbooked. Disgraceful service.

Unable to pre book with priorite pass and no capacity for priority pass holders. Few of us got rejected on the queue. Manchester airport need to do something about this. We re paying customers too but get rejected most of time.

We used the Aspire Lounge at T2 last week as a family of 4. Space for groups was limited at first, however we soon got a table for 4. Food was great although a small selection, my kids loved the pasta dish and made pancakes. I have Coeliac disease so I didn't expect to be able to eat (I did email Aspire several times but never got a reply). However they had a Dal/Dhal type Cury that was really nice and Gluten free. Nice choice of drinks alcoholic and non alcoholic. We did Pre Book via the Dragon Pass app. It's a small lounge so during the school holidays I would suggest Pre booking. The biggest highlight is the staff. Super friendly, can't do enough for you and check up on you to make sure everything is okay. The staff working on the 27th of October around 13:30 deserve commending. They're a credit to the lounge and deserve a special mention. We'll be booking again when we return in a few months.

The worlds smallest lounge and smallest selection of food! You’re better off outside tbh!

More like a cheap all you can eat buffet than a lounge... Noisy and chaotic just like the rest of the airport...

Food and drinks very nice and clean and tidy. Staff were very friendly

As a Priority Pass holder I'm used to Manchester Airport's pivot away from business travellers towards the bucket and spade crowd. But this place is infuriating. Always denied entry with my Priority Pass. Happened again 12/10/24. Lots of space inside and I was travelling alone - just a place to do some work, have a coffee and sandwich, I begged! "No, sorry". I guess I'll wear a skimpy frock and a wig with an "L" plate on my back next time and see how I get on.

I am currently sat in the aspire lounge awaiting to board. Seriously if I could do a 0☆ review I would. Not worth the money. Food is awful, extremely limited, if you're a veggie the choices even worse. Basic drink selection included in the cost but you pay extra for thing like flavoured gins, vodkas which I think are pretty standard choices now a days. Just go to the other lounges they are by far better than this.

Terminal 2 Aspire Lounge is the worst I have experienced, dull, dingy, messy - much less pleasant than concourse services. How it can be described as "Executive" when it feels more like a dodgy Wetherspoons I just dont know.

As many reviewers have said do not waste your money or free passes here. Extremely limited choice of breakfast items. Couldn't find me an Earl Grey teabag. Really? I'd say these days thats quite a common type of tea. Very limited views of the apron. Tables extremely small. Staff at welcome desk have jackets on. Not exactly a positive vibe. Complete waste of money in my view.

What a dump dirty glasses miserable staff Business class what a laugh went to Pret instead

The lady at the reception was very nice, friendly and helpful.

Three tables were reserved for the entire time we were here....sorry but if the people don't show take the signs off....lunch veggie choice consisted of one option only...not as advertised. Save your money and stay away!

The best place to sit and enjoy a drink or a decent breakfast the staff are very friendly and will go that extra to satisfy the most particular of traveller. Love this place it’s quiet and not busy as the lounge. The only negative point was I asked for toothpicks and was given wooden stakes lol.

Sterile atmosphere, have to go through stern attitude of bar staff for alcoholic drinks, of which lager tasted watered down. Food minimal breakfast choice which was dry, tasteless and not replenished. Compared to the lounge on return from Helsinki is the difference between the savoy and a greasy spoon. Manchester airport is in dire need of an overhaul, starting with this place.

Rubbish filthy grumpy staff and NO VODKA dont book this lounge

Don’t waste your money! Thankfully we got into the lounge with your Amex passes for free, but how they can charge £40+ for this lounge I don’t know! It’s tiny, minimal food (better drink selection though, but we weren’t on the p*ss), no atmosphere. If you want a lounge, I’d try every other option first - or save your money!

Well definitely not worth the money, arrived and the 3 yes 3 window seats were either reserved or full, changing over to lunch, chilli, rice, pasta, garlic bread, some cold salad options, no nibbles, no Sandwich, no crisp, crackers, 3 beer choices and red/white/rose wine pretty poor show for prices they charge, pretty dark space, soft drinks available as is tea and coffee, tried numerous times to connect to WiFi without my success, would I recommend No definitely not, other options are better value

Awful experience the hot food is actually cold not worth the money currently paid £90 basically for a coffee.. avoid at all costs

Do not pay to come here we paid £125 to come here, no ice , chairs and floor dirty, hardly any drinks and a massive que , food is discusting and hardly anything to offer , raw chicken and cold food , fruit is out of date and soggy and it’s just horendous. Will not be coming back

Absolutely the worst start to a holiday. Staff seemed liked they begrudge being there. The blonde lady should not work in hospitality. 2 choices of hot food. Pasta or chilli. Both average at best. Salad selection awful. Just depressing at the start to the holiday! £50 each is an absolute joke avoid at all costs!!!

With a clearly semi empty lounge, and having Priory Pass, we were not allowed to get in without a reservation

Don’t believe the web page menu. We have the option of chilli con carne and macaroni cheese. Glad we didn’t pay for this. I know if id parted with £30-£40 I wouldn’t be happy. On the upside it’s a lot quieter than escape but lacks food. Guess we will just fill up on drinks

Despite having a priority pass, we were denied entry. Although the lounge was relatively empty, business class passengers would be given priority. Alternatively, you could have reserved a place for a fee. However, this must be booked 48 hours in advance...