A survey by Which? has gauged what passengers think about our airports, from cleanliness and queues to prices
Manchester Airport has been voted the UK’s worst to fly from.
A survey by consumer group Which? ranked the airport’s Terminal 3 bottom for the fourth year running, with a customer score of 43%.
It got one star out of a possible five for security queues, seating, and the prices in shops and food outlets. One disgruntled passenger cited an increase in Ryanair flights through the terminal, adding: “It’s impossible to get a drink or something to eat, but much worse than that – there is nowhere to sit.”
Manchester Airport’s other two terminals also scored badly in the survey. Terminal 1, which is scheduled for closure this year, was the second lowest ranked. One passenger said: “The cleanliness in Terminal 1 is appalling. Toilets are often overflowing, and there’s rubbish everywhere.”
Manchester Terminal 2 could only manage fourth from bottom, with a customer score of 53%, but there was positive feedback too. One person praised its “good facilities prior to long haul flight and helpful staff at baggage check-in”.
At the other end of the scale was Exeter Airport, which came top with an overall customer score of 80%. That said, Exeter serves around 500,000 passengers a year compared to 29 million at Manchester or 84 million at Heathrow.
Shortly behind, with a score of 78%, was Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which now serves five million passengers a year. Passengers praised its quick, efficient process and friendly staff.
Which? surveyed almost 6,000 passengers – Which? members and members of the public – about their airport experiences over the previous 12 months. Passengers were asked to rate the airports across 10 categories including customer service, wait for baggage, security queues and availability of seating as well as range of shops and food outlets.
The sample sizes varied greatly, from 55 people who gave feedback on Exeter Airport to 773 for Heathrow Terminal 5. Manchester Airport Terminal 3 was based on the views of 191 passengers.
London Luton was the lowest ranked airport among those near the capital. The airport, which saw passenger numbers grow to 16.7 million last year, had an overall customer score of 51%. It was singled out by those in the survey for prices in the airport shops and eateries, and its seating. One passenger said the airport had a “disorganized and confusing layout”.
Gatwick Airport also came in the bottom half of the table, with its North Terminal given a score of 57%, and South Terminal 55%. Along with prices, it was also marked down for customer service and seating.
Heathrow Airport had a mixed result, with Terminal 5 the highest with a score of 59%, putting it in the top half of the table. Lowest was Terminal 3 with a score of 54%.
One common theme across most of the airports was people’s frustration about prices in shops and food outlets, with more than half those given just one star out of five.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “While some airports show that the few hours before your flight can be an enjoyable start to a holiday, others are an endurance test as passengers feel more like cattle herded from expensive shops to overpriced bars and restaurants, as well as dealing with long queues and dirty toilets.
“Next time you’re booking a flight, it’s well worth considering not just your choice of airline but also your airport – it could make all the difference to the start of your getaway and maybe even get that holiday feeling started a little sooner.”
Chris Woodroofe, Manchester Airport’s managing director, said: “Through our historic £1.3billion transformation programme, we have created a world-class and award-winning Terminal 2. We have also announced plans to invest significantly in Terminal 3 – starting this year.
“I am also proud to say customer satisfaction has increased significantly over the past four years. We know how customers feel about their experience because we asked hundreds of them every week about it. Between January and June this year, 91% of 3,045 people surveyed told us their experience was good, very good or excellent.
“That is how I know this latest outdated and unrepresentative report from Which? bears no resemblance to the experience people receive at Manchester Airport day in, day out.”
Gatwick said: “In the first half of 2025 passengers received great service, as the airport significantly improved its on-time performance, following excellent collaboration with airline partners and National Air Traffic Services.”
Heathrow said: “Which? has relied on unrepresentatively small sample sizes and recollections to assess an industry that already collects vast amounts of data on a daily basis, all verified and published by an independent regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority.”
London Luton Airport said: “Whilst we value all feedback, a sample size of just 255 Which? readers is simply not representative of the 16.7 million passengers who travelled with us in 2024.”
London Stansted said it was “proud to have welcomed a record breaking 30m passengers to the airport in the last year, driven by the great value and reliable service on offer, and convenient access to over 200 destinations across Europe and beyond.”
