Airports Group falls foul of customer feedback
Manchester Airports Group’s (MAG) three airports are among the worst in the UK, scored by customer reviews – with Manchester Airport judged the worst.
A new poll by travel insurance business Loveit Coverit examined airline review site, SKYTRAX, to calculate the average customer review score for each of the UK’s 33 international airports over the past year.
Manchester Airport was ranked the worst, with an average customer review score of just two out of five.
One disgruntled passenger, who left a Google review, expressed their dissatisfaction, stating: “During my lifetime I have travelled through many airports and this one is by far the worst. The staff were rude and unfriendly, all machines were slow and everything took twice as long as it should.”
MAG’s other two airports, Stansted and East Midlands, were ranked 30 and 29, respectively, in overall rankings, with customer review scores of 2.15 and 2.2.
Stansted passengers have cited issues such as poor signage: “Pretty poor on the whole. Crowded and cramped with too many shops. Food and drink options are fair by UK airport standards. Signage particularly is abysmal.”
One google reviewer said of East Midlands Airport: “Drop off [is] outrageously expensive. £5 for 15 minutes and then £1 PER MINUTE after that. Chaotic pedestrian crossing took at least 5 minutes at our expense! Waiting to exit through the single barrier took a further 5 minutes at our expense! The car park surface [is] beyond repairable. Like a third world airport. Avoid with your last breath.”
With an average customer review score of 2.1, Leeds & Bradford Airport faces criticism for its lack of infrastructure and management, with one passenger on SKYTRAX saying: “Easily the most deplorable God awful airport in the 21st century. My question is who manages that airport. Queue for 2 hours nearly missed my flight. People had to ask to be put to the front of the queue as to avoid missing their flight. Understaffed. Security was a mess.”
The airports that round out the rest of the top 10 worst international airports in the UK include Luton, Belfast, Norwich, Bristol, Bournemouth, and Birmingham.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport was placed 19th in the table, with a score of 2.75.
The top five airports, rated by customers, were: Derry, Humberside, Jersey, London City and Isle of Man.
A Loveit Coverit spokesperson said: “The study reminds us that behind the glossy brochures and enticing travel ads, the reality of airport experiences can sometimes fall short.”
A Manchester Airports Group spokesperson said: “This research, compiled by an insurance company, is based on unverified online accounts. We are committed to providing a good customer service and are confident passengers travelling with us this summer will experience that.
“We have delivered successful Christmas, Easter and spring half term holidays, as well as our busiest month since September 2019 in June – all while keeping average queue times in security below 15 minutes for 95% of customers.
“That’s why we’re confident that anyone who comes through the airport will be getting the best start to their holidays.”
