AirportsUK, the trade body for UK airports, has responded to the recent survey conducted by Which? that assessed the best and worst UK airports for passenger experience this year.
The survey asked 4,962 Which? Connect panel members to rate the airports based on queues at check-in desk, queues at bag drop, queues at security, queues at passport control, baggage reclaim, seating, staff, prices in shops, bars, and restaurants, range of shops, bars, and restaurants, and toilets. The rating system used one-to-five-star reviews.
The outcome of the survey placed Liverpool John Lennon, London City, Norwich, Exeter, and Southampton as the UK’s five best airports for passengers, and Manchester, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton as the worst.
The notable theme throughout the top airports was size, with all five being small, unbusy airports compared to the lower ranking locations. One example shows Liverpool John Lennon received five stars for security, bag drop, and staff, while Manchester only received two stars for staff and one star for security.
Manchester, one of the ‘worst’ airports, and also the lowest ranking airport of the 2023 survey, responded to the outcome, telling Which? that its own passenger surveys showed are more positive opinion of the airport, however that it is in the process of spending £1.3bn on improvements, including closing T1 and expanding T2.
However, there is some contention about the accuracy of Which?’s results due to the small number of participants. In response to the survey, AirportsUK, who represent over 50 airports, released the following statement:
“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 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.
“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.
“AirportsUK noted passenger services at airports are provided through the combined efforts of airlines, ground handlers, airports and the hundreds of businesses that work onsite to provide an excellent experience and have been doing so effectively and efficiently in an incredibly busy summer.”
