It's odd that Findlay and Mrs McS have to check in 3+ hours before take-off. My tickets, which have just arrived, thankfully only show the usual 2 hours before take-off. This means that I can have a leisurey stroll to my local station and clamber on the train direct to the airport!
I agree that airports do charge the earth for things and Manchester is no exception. Funnily enough, the petrol station there, which I've always assumed to be priced at motorway service station levels, sells diesel at a pretty competitive price.