Liverpool airport soars above big-name rival Manchester in survey of UK’s best and worst

Small airports including Liverpool John Lennon have beaten their big-name rivals to be crowned best in the UK this year, with many larger hubs crippled by excessive delays and cancellations, according to consumer watchdog Which?

Doncaster Sheffield Airport topped the consumer champion’s survey for the fourth consecutive time, after almost 7,500 Which? members were asked to rate their experiences at UK airports over the past two years.

The airport is however due to shut down imminently, with the last flight departing in the next few weeks.

Liverpool John Lennon Airports tied for second place with Exeter in the consumer champion’s survey, with a customer score of 83 per cent. Both airports earned Which?

Liverpool John Lennon Airport rated highly for wait times, achieving an impressive five stars across check-in, bag-drop, security, passport control and baggage reclaim.

Respondents praised the airport as ‘uncrowded’ with ‘minimal queues’ while also singling out an intuitive layout which made the space ‘easy to navigate’.

Liverpool dropped one point to four stars on seating, staff, and toilets, it received its lowest star rating for the shopping experience on offer, achieving just three stars for both prices in shops and range of outlets available.

Its performance is in sharp contrast to its Northwest rival Manchester, which scooped the dubious accolade of taking the three lowest spots in the rankings.

At the very bottom of the charts with a customer satisfaction score of just 38 per cent was Manchester’s Terminal 3, which scored a lowly one star for queues at security, seating, prices in shops and the range of shops on offer.

It managed no higher than two stars in any of the remaining categories. Travellers dissatisfied with their experience at the terminal described it as ‘chaotic’, ‘heaving’, and ‘an end-to-end shambles’, with many expressing their disappointment at long queue times, not just through security, but even for refreshments.

Manchester Terminals 1 and 2 fared marginally better, with customer satisfaction scores of 41 per cent and 47 per cent respectively. Like Terminal 3, they scored just one star for queue times at security, though Terminal 2 distinguished itself as the only Manchester terminal to score 3 stars in any category, which it achieved both for seating and toilet facilities.

Guy Hobbs, Editor of Which? Travel said:

“This year we’ve witnessed unprecedented chaos at many of the UK’s largest airports. Travellers reported extensive queues and unhelpful staff, with resources pushed to breaking point.

“Just a few years ago, travellers may have paid little attention to their choice of airport – but now it may just make or break your trip. Wherever possible, we’d recommend opting for smaller airports, which have generally offered a smoother and less stressful experience for their passengers over the last two years.”

A Manchester Airport Spokesperson said: “We apologise to any customer who feels their experience was not of the standard we want to deliver over the past two years.”

“The pandemic was the biggest crisis faced by our industry in its history. At one stage passenger numbers at Manchester Airport dropped to just 5 per cent of normal levels and airports around the world had to cut costs just to survive.”

 “Earlier this year, the whole of the travel industry then faced unprecedented challenges as travel restrictions were removed and demand returned rapidly to the market, and Manchester Airport was no different.”

“The hugely competitive employment market and delays in training and vetting meant there were times when we were unable to keep up with passenger demand, which resulted in longer waiting times than we would like.”

“As the summer progressed, and hundreds of new colleagues were welcomed into the business, service levels improved consistently and we are now in a place where we can provide a good standard of service to passengers.”