Which?’s 29 best and worst UK airports for 2024 – Liverpool John Lennon is No. 1, London City is second and Manchester T3 is AGAIN bottom. Find out why… and vote for the one YOU think is the worst
In the past few months alone, there have been protests, power outages, queues, delays and cancellations.
And now Manchester has been named the UK’s worst airport.
The airport’s Terminal 3 came last for the third year running in the annual Which? survey.
The terminal received only one star for seating, staff, security queues, shopping and prices in shops. In no other category, including toilets, did the terminal receive more than two stars.
Meanwhile, Manchester’s Terminal 1 came second to last in the survey, which asked 5,000 British travellers to rate their airport experiences, while Terminal 2 came sixth.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport (above) was voted the UK’s best airport, with travellers giving it five stars for its ‘friendly’, ‘kind-hearted’ staff, and for the queues at bag drop and security
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘Our research found that many of the largest airports are falling short on basic facilities – passengers are often unhappy with the availability of toilets and seats, and sometimes report long queues’
Manchester Terminal 3 has finished bottom of the annual Which? airport survey for the third year running
In June, all flights from Terminals 1 and 2 at Manchester Airport were cancelled after a ‘major power cut’ left hundreds of holidaymakers stranded.
Meanwhile, in July a man was filmed being kicked in the head by a police officer at Terminal 2, sparking two nights of protests in Rochdale and Manchester.
One traveller interviewed as part of the research described his time in Terminal 3 as ‘queuing, waiting, waiting… understaffed, poorly trained, surly, bordering on rude’, while another said: ‘Manchester T3 sums up everything that is bad about UK airports. Too many flights means too many people in a place that is not designed to hold that many people.’ Others complained about the lack of seating.
At the other end of the scale, Liverpool John Lennon Airport was voted the UK’s best airport, with travellers giving it five stars for its ‘friendly’, ‘kind-hearted’ staff and the short queues at baggage claim and security.
Overall, smaller airports outperformed their larger competitors, with respondents reporting shorter lines and a generally less stressful experience.
London City Airport came in second, followed by Norwich, Exeter and Southampton. Luton was the worst rated London airport, closely followed by Stansted.
London City Airport (above) came second, with five stars for queues and staff
Norwich Airport came third, with four stars for Wi-Fi and five stars for staff
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travelsaid: ‘Our research found that many of the largest airports are failing to meet basic needs – passengers are often unhappy about the availability of toilets and seats, and sometimes report long queues. Selling fast passes and filling terminals with retail space and airport lounges is a money-making machine – but based on the results of our research, it’s not what passengers need.
‘Smaller airports, on the other hand, may have few shops and airports like City don’t have private lounges – but our research shows what they can do: help passengers enjoy their holiday quickly and smoothly. Next time you’re booking a flight, it’s worth considering not just your choice of airline, but also your airport – it could make a big difference to the start of your holiday.’
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: ‘Manchester Airport is proud to offer people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to almost 200 different destinations around the world.
“We understand that not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to be able to report their concerns directly to us.”
