One unhappy customer described Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3 as “the worst airport I have ever used” when responding to the 2024 Which? survey of UK’s best and worst airports in the country

Passengers of an airport terminal voted the worst in the UK for a third year running have highlighted one particular problem with the travel hub.

One unhappy customer described Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3 as “the worst airport I have ever used” when responding to the 2024 Which? survey of UK’s best and worst airports. The terminal finished bottom of the annual Which? airport survey for the third consecutive year, as neighbouring Liverpool John Lennon Airport takes first place.

Manchester Airport Terminal 3 received just one star for seating, staff, queues at security, range of shops and prices in shops, and managed no higher than two stars in any of the remaining categories, including for toilets. There was one thing that passengers found particularly annoying and disappointing – queues.

With some of its ‘moving walkways’ out of action since 2021, and repair works still ongoing, as well as widespread complaints about queues and lack of seating, many of those surveyed who were reliant on Manchester Airport for its range of international connections reported unhappy experiences. One disappointed traveller summed up their time at the terminal as “’queuing, queuing, queuing. Not enough staff, poorly trained, surly bordering on rude”, while another said: “’Manchester T3 sums up everything that is bad about UK airports. Too many flights mean too many people crowded into a space not designed to take that many.”

Another lamented: “It’s just awful – the worst advert for anyone flying to the UK. It’s the worst airport I have ever used (and by quite a long way) compared to other UK and especially overseas airports.”

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said they disagreed with the survey findings in relation to customer satisfaction and security waiting times, and noted the airport’s own data shows 97% of people take less than 15 minutes to pass through security. It said its ongoing £1.3bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme is creating world-class facilities and is award-winning.

Manchester Airport Terminal 1, which is scheduled for closure next year, fared only marginally better, with a customer score of 40 per cent. It received just one star for its staff, queues at security and prices in shops, and a clutch of two star ratings in most of the remaining categories. Its highest rating of three stars was for its toilets. Terminal 2, which is currently undergoing a multi-million pound upgrade, was the highest rated of Manchester’s Terminals, tied with Heathrow Terminal 4 with a score of 51 per cent.

“As in previous years, Which? is letting consumers down with over-simplified judgements based on the outdated and unrepresentative testimony of a narrow group of travellers, as well as publishing misleading statements and factual inaccuracies. Manchester Airport is proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world. We know our nearly 30m passengers value the fact we make it possible for them to fly directly to places they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, whether that is for business or leisure, to study or visit friends and family.

“We also know they value an experience that caters for all needs, tastes and budgets, and through our £1.3bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme we are creating world-class facilities that give them just that. Due for completion next year, it is already winning awards and receiving high levels of customer satisfaction. We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.

“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023. Recognising how limited and out of date the Which? survey is, we have engaged with the publication and its writers to provide accurate, up to date performance data and satisfaction scores, as well as showcasing in person how our once-in-a-generation investment is transforming passenger experiences and helping connect them to even more parts of the world.”

In June this year thousands of passengers faced a frustrating day in Manchester Airport’s terminal 1 and 2, with cancellations, delays and big queues caused by a major power cut. The airport’s managing director said the disruption was caused by a fault with a cable in the early hours.

In April this year, Which? surveyed almost 5,000 members about their experiences at airports in the previous 12 months. Respondents were invited to rate the airports across 11 categories, including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security. A customer score was calculated based on a combination of overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend.

On the whole, the survey found smaller airports once again performed better than their larger rivals this year – with respondents reporting shorter queues, and a generally less stressful experience.

Belfast International was the lowest scoring airport after Manchester Terminals 3 and 1, with a customer score of 44 per cent. Currently in the midst of a £100 million redevelopment, it received one star for its range of shops, the price of goods in shops, and baggage reclaim. The latter was a particular bugbear for travellers. One traveller summed up, “Miserable surroundings and luggage recovery is a joke.” In contrast, its neighbour Belfast City (George Best) Airport was in the top half of the table, with a customer score of 63 per cent.

“While we welcome the feedback from the Which? Survey it is not a representative sample and should not be portrayed as such. 61 passengers were surveyed out of the six million that used the airport in 2023 and clearly does not show the broad range views of the passengers that flew from Belfast International Airport in 2023 but we have noted the comments made and shared them with our service partners.

“We continue to work directly with our service partners to continuously improve services and in particular we are addressing baggage reclaim concerns directly with those parties involved. Belfast International Airport is proud to give local travellers access to a wide range of destinations across the UK and Europe and we are continually developing and growing our route network. We are committed to providing passengers with a great experience and as a result we are currently undergoing a £100 million five year investment plan to transform that passenger experience.”

London Luton was the worst-rated London airport, with a customer score of 47 per cent, closely followed by Stansted on a customer score of 50 per cent. At the top end of the table, Liverpool John Lennon received an impressive customer score of 81 per cent, and was one of five airports this year to secure the prestigious Which? Recommended Provider Badge, alongside London City, Norwich, Exeter and Southampton.

Just 30 miles from Manchester Airport, travellers at Liverpool John Lennon might as well have been a world away, rating it five stars for its “friendly”, “good-natured” staff, as well for queues at bag drop and security. It also received four stars for its toilets, wi-fi, seating, baggage reclaim and queues at the check in desk and at passport control. As one traveller put it, it’s a “smaller, friendlier, efficient airport, generally not too busy with smallish queues …it is a far more pleasurable experience than its nearest rival, Manchester.”

UK’s best and worst airports

(From worst to best based on overall customer scores)

  1. Manchester T3, 38%
  2. Manchester T1, 44%
  3. London Luton, 49%
  4. Belfast International, 49%
  5. Manchester T2, 50%
  6. London Stansted, 51%
  7. Birmingham, 53%
  8. London Heathrow T3, 54%
  9. London Heathrow T2, 54%
  10. London Gatwick South, 54%
  11. Edinburgh, 55%
  12. Aberdeen, 55%
  13. Bristol, 56%
  14. London Heathrow T5, 57%
  15. London Heathrow T4, 57%
  16. London Gatwick North, 57%
  17. Leeds Bradford, 58%
  18. Glasgow International, 62%
  19. Newcastle, 72%
  20. East Midlands, 72%
  21. Bournemouth, 75%
  22. Southampton, 77%
  23. London City, 78%
  24. Liverpool John Lennon, 82%

The full results breakdown can be found on the Which? website.

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