Contrasting fortunes, again, for North West airports in latest Which? survey
Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been named the UK’s best airport in consumer publication Which?’s annual survey, for the second year in a row.
By contrast, Manchester’s Terminal 3 is ranked the worst in the UK for the third consecutive year, according to the latest findings, with Terminal 1 second worst.
Which? surveyed almost 5,000 people about their experiences at airports in the previous 12 months and invited them to rate the airports across 11 categories, including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security.
At the top of the table is Liverpool John Lennon Airport, with a customer score of 81%. It has also secured the prestigious Which? Recommended Provider status for the third consecutive year, too.
Customers praised their experience at the airport, 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.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s CEO, John Irving, said: “To be named as the UK’s number one airport by travellers is a tremendous accolade once again for the airport and something all who work here are incredibly proud of, with all the hard work put in by our staff, alongside our dedicated third party operators, paying dividends.
He added: “To hear such positive feedback from our customers and gain this recognition for the second consecutive year, is testament to the commitment from all our colleagues day in day out at the airport.
“As ever, we know we can’t rest on our laurels. We are back to pre-pandemic levels of passenger numbers and set to see further increases in passenger numbers next year, so will need to continue to improve facilities and maintain the friendly, relaxed experience that this airport is renowned for.”
LJLA is continuing to make investments to further enhance the customer journey with work taking place in the winter across various parts of the airport ahead of next summer, when the airport expects to welcome many more passengers from across the North West.
The survey revealed that Manchester Airport Terminal 3 scored a dismal customer score of just 37%. The terminal 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.
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.”
Manchester Airport Terminal 1, which is scheduled for closure next year, achieved a customer score of 40%.
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.
Manchester Airport Terminal Two
Terminal 2, which is currently undergoing a multimillion-pound upgrade, was the highest rated of Manchester’s Terminals, tied with Heathrow Terminal 4 with a score of 51%.
Manchester Airport told Which? it disagreed with the survey findings in relation to customer satisfaction and security waiting times, and noted its own data shows 97% of people take less than 15 minutes to pass through security.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson told TheBusinessDesk.com: “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.
“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. Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
They added: “It is disappointing to once again see Which? chase cheap headlines with its sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports and the different roles they play. To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality. This is completely unacceptable.”
AirportsUK, the trade body for the UK’s airports, also disputed the methods used by Which? saying: “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.
“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.”
