You’d be hard pressed to find an airport that doesn’t induce even the slightest bit of stress. From ensuring you have an up-to-date passport to proving that your suitcase will in fact fit in the overhead locker, there’s a whole load of logistics involved in flying before you can really kick back and relax. But, of course, there are airports that make the process a lot more bearable than others – and those that make it even more nightmarish.
So, to help you avoid as much stress as you can next holiday, Which? has revealed its ranking of UK airports for 2025. It quizzed around 4,600 of its members plus 1,100 members of the public on their airport experiences over the last 12 months.
While Exeter was crowned the best of the bunch, Manchester Airport emerged as the worst airport in the UK. Manchester Terminal 3 was the worst of all with an overall customer score of 43 percent, followed by Terminal 1 with 47 percent and Terminal 2 with 53 percent (narrowly beating London Luton).
Terminal 3 was given just one star for its queues at airport security, its seating and its range of food and shopping outlets. It earned two stars in all of the remaining categories, including its staff, toilets, and passport control queues.
It said: ‘It’s a mystery as to why Manchester Airport can’t drag itself from the bottom of our table after all the money spent on it: £1.3bn in the past few years.
‘Visitors complain of long walks, a lack of seating, disorganised and stressful queues, plus the usual rip-off prices for food and drink.’
One traveller called the staff ‘rude and unhelpful’, with Which? adding that ‘it’s no surprise that staff can be grumpy working in the overcrowded, run-down terminals 1 and 3.’ The nearby Liverpool John Lennon Airport (a 35 minute drive away) was ranked the second best in the UK, so you may be better off flying from there.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey though. Chris Woodroofe, its managing director, said: ‘[I am] 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 percent 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‘That is how I know this latest outdated and unrepresentative report from Which?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.’
In some news that could help it climb the ranking, Manchester Airport is getting a huge overhaul, which will see its Terminal 3 become bigger and more passenger friendly. You can read more about its plans here.
ICYMI: All the new British Airways routes launching from the UK next summer.
Plus: Every major UK airport ranked by the Telegraph.
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