AirportsUK - the trade association representing UK airports - responded to the Which? 'Best and Worst UK Airports 2024' survey, published on September 5, 2024.
"These results also do not align with our airport members’ own data on passenger experience, which is that most customers are very happy with the service they receive," a spokesperson for the association said. "This is seen in comprehensive surveys of thousands of people every single month, while Which? has only asked a tiny and unrepresentative fraction of airport passengers to recall their experiences up to a year previously."
The survey received 7,000 responses and found Liverpool John Lennon to be the best rated airport in the UK. It was closely followed by London City and Norwich airports.
The worst rated airport is also the UK's third-largest one; Manchester. The survey said terminals 1 and 3 were found to be a "grim experience" for consumers. Which? said: "The only good news is that the dreadful Terminal 1 is scheduled to close next year. It gets one or two stars for everything except toilets. Terminal 2 is better but still only gets two stars for seating and staff."
It continued: "Terminal 3, unfortunately, is even worse than T1 and there are no plans to close it. Queues there were described as ‘horrendous’ by one passenger who complained of being ‘corralled like cattle’". Manchester argued that the vast majority of its passengers (over 97%) get through security in under 15 minutes.
"The UK’s airports are consumer facing businesses in a competitive market so are continually focused on improving terminal facilities whilst still providing the value that enables flights to be competitively priced," the AirportsUK spokesperson continued. "The UK’s airports are currently investing millions of pounds in upgrading security equipment and improving services, which while causing some disruption now will improve the passenger experience in the years ahead."
Manchester Airport had responded to the survey, stating that its own passenger surveys had seen a much more positive response from passengers. It added that it was in the process of spending £1.3bn on improvements, including expanding terminal 3.
Which? gave Manchester Airport a verdict of "avoid if you can".