The worst airport in the UK revealed – with passengers slamming it for being ‘chaotic and shambolic’
THE worst airport in the UK has been revealed, with passengers claiming it is "chaotic and shambolic".
A new study by Which? found that Manchester Airport was voted the worst in the country.
The survey spoke to 7,500 Which? members who rated their airport experience over the past two years, analysing queue times, amenities and staff.
And all three Manchester Airport terminals took the bottom spots, after a summer of chaos caused huge queues and delays for travellers.
Many claimed the airport was "chaotic" with "end-to-end shambles," with Terminal 3 ranked the worst with just 38 per cent satisfaction.
Terminal 1 and 2 ranked slightly higher at 41 per cent and 47 per cent respectively, although were also rated poorly for queue times.
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Also ranked poorly were Heathrow Airport's Terminal 2, 3 and 4, although Terminal 5 was ranked highly at 60 per cent.
However, the best London airport was London City, taking third place tied with Southampton Airport.
The best airport in the UK was revealed to be Doncaster Sheffield Airport, given 85 per cent and praised for its "helpful staff" and "faultless service".
However, it isn't good news as the airport is due to close down permanently this month.
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Best and worst UK airports according to Which?
Best UK airports
- Doncaster Sheffield - 85 per cent
- Exeter - 83 per cent
- Liverpool John Lennon - 83 per cent
- London City - 77 per cent
- Southampton - 77 per cent
Worst UK airports
- Manchester T3 - 38 per cent
- Manchester T1 - 41 per cent
- Manchester T2 - 47 per cent
- London Heathrow T4 - 48 per cent
- Belfast - 48 per cent
Airports Exeter and Liverpool John Lennon came in joint second, tied at 83 per cent approval rating.
Which? Travel Editor Guy Hobbs commented: "This year we’ve witnessed unprecedented chaos at many of the UK's largest airports.
“Just a few years ago, travellers may have paid little attention to their choice of airport – but now it may just make or break your trip."
He added: "We’d recommend opting for smaller airports, which have generally offered a smoother and less stressful experience for their passengers over the last two years.”
A Manchester Airport spokesperson apologised to passengers who were not happy with their experience, and said the pandemic was the "biggest crisis faced by our industry in its history"
They said: "Earlier this year, the whole of the travel industry then faced unprecedented challenges as travel restrictions were removed and demand returned rapidly to the market, and Manchester Airport was no different.
“The hugely competitive employment market and delays in training and vetting meant there were times when we were unable to keep up with passenger demand, which resulted in longer waiting times than we would like.";
However, they said this has since improved and "97 per cent of passengers were through security in 30 minute in September".
A Heathrow spokesperson slammed the survey, calling it "inaccurate and misleading".
They said: "What is clear is that Heathrow has faced unprecedented growth this year, as passenger numbers rose faster and higher than any other European hub, with more than 18 million passengers using the airport this summer.
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"After the two years of international travel lockdown, this was always going to be a tough year and colleagues across the airport have put in a monumental effort to meet those challenges.
"Our focus continues to be on building back capacity so that we can deliver the consistent, high-quality service our passengers expect at Heathrow.”
