Consumer group Which? named all three Manchester Airport terminals among the worst in the UK, but the airport has hit back at the survey results saying they ‘bear no resemblance’ to passengers’ daily experiences
06:17, 05 Sep 2025Updated 06:18, 05 Sep 2025
Manchester Airport Terminal 3, which was ranked the worst in the UK according to a Which? survey (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Manchester Airport has hit back at an “outdated and unrepresentative” report from consumer group Which? That named Terminal 3 as the worst in the UK.
The consumer group surveyed 4,648 of its members and 1,141 members of the public in April 2025 about 7,975 airport visits over the past 12 months. Passengers were asked to rate the airports across 10 categories including customer service, wait for baggage, security queues and availability of seating as well as range of shops and food outlets.
Each airport was given a customer score based on “satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.” Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3 was ranked the lowest, with a customer score of 43 per cent.
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said the latest Which? Report “bears no resemblance to the experience people receive at Manchester Airport day in, day out.”
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The airport highlights that the Which? survey doesn’t take into account the size of the airports and how this can affect passengers – a bigger airport will be busier, which may impact how passengers perceive their experience.
Another factor at play is that Which? only surveys a fraction of the number of passengers which pass through the airport and relies on them recalling experiences which happened months previously.
One of the lounge areas in Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3(Image: MEN Staff)
Manchester Airport is the busiest outside of London with a network of more than 200 destinations, including the USA, India and China.
From September 2023 to October 2024 Manchester Airport served more than 30 million passengers, with monthly passenger figures continuing to break records. In comparison, Exeter Airport, which topped the survey, served 435,000 passengers from March 2023 to March 2024. Exeter serves less than 30 destinations – all of which are in Europe.
The M.E.N understands airport bosses have made repeated calls on Which? to reconsider the way it ranks airports to give a more balanced view that takes into account the advantages of larger airports in terms of their route networks.
Airport bosses have also strongly criticised Which?’s research, pointing out that its sample represents 0.003 per cent of the passengers that flew from the airport during the period in question.
What the Which? survey said
Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3 received one star for security queues, seating, prices of goods in shops and food outlets as well as the range and quality of shops and food outlets.
One passenger said: “Now Ryanair puts most of its flights through there and it is absolutely not set up for that number of passengers. It’s impossible to get a drink or something to eat, but much worse than that – there is nowhere to sit.”
Manchester Terminal 1 received a score of 47 percent, the second lowest scoring. It achieved a one star rating for security queues and price in its shops and food outlets, and two stars for the other categories. One passenger said: “The cleanliness in Terminal 1 is appalling. Toilets are often overflowing, and there’s rubbish everywhere.”
Manchester Terminal 2 managed a customer score of 53 per cent but feedback from passengers overall was less negative. Reflecting a three star rating in multiple categories covering queues and wait times, one passenger praised the terminal for “little queuing” and another praised the “good facilities prior to long haul flight and helpful staff at baggage check-in”. Similar to Terminals 1 and 3, Terminal 2 was given only one star for the prices in its shops and eateries.
The bottom half of the results table is dominated by the UK’s largest airports, with London Luton ranked third lowest with a score of 51 per cent, with London Stansted, London Heathrow and London Gatwick following suit. Exeter Airport topped the list with a score of 80 per cent, followed by Liverpool John Lennon and London City.
Manchester Airport’s response
A CGI released this week which shows what Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3 will look like following multi-million pound revamp(Image: Manchester Airport)
Responding to the survey, Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said: “I am proud that Manchester Airport is serving more passengers than ever before, connecting 31m people a year to more than 200 destinations – dozens of which you cannot fly to from anywhere else outside London.
“Through our historic £1.3bn transformation programme, we have created a world-class and award-winning Terminal 2. We have also announced plans to invest significantly in Terminal 3 – starting this year.
“I am also proud to say customer satisfaction has increased significantly over the past four years. We know how customers feel about their experience because we asked hundreds of them every week about it. Between January and June this year, 91per cent of 3,045 people surveyed told us their experience was good, very good or excellent.
“That is how I know this latest outdated and unrepresentative report from Which? bears no resemblance to the experience people receive at Manchester Airport day in, day out.
“The most disappointing thing about Which’s continued pursuit of headlines over robust consumer advice is the disservice it does to the hard work and dedication of our thousands of colleagues – and those of our partner organisations.”
What other airports said
London Heathrow and London Luton also criticised the Which? Survey. A London Heathrow spokesperson said: “Which? has relied on unrepresentatively small sample sizes and recollections to assess an industry that already collects vast amounts of data on a daily basis, all verified and published by an independent regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority.
“We have just delivered our busiest ever summer as Europe’s most punctual hub airport, with 94per cent of passengers telling us they experienced a good or excellent journey. More than 96per cent of passengers wait less than five minutes for security, giving ample time to enjoy our award-winning range of retail and dining options across the terminals.”
A London Luton Airport spokesperson said: “Whilst we value all feedback, a sample size of just 255 Which? readers is simply not representative of the 16.7 million passengers who travelled with us in 2024.
“Official industry data shows 4 out of 5 customers at London Luton Airport rate their experience as either very good or excellent, while international aviation review site Skytrax names LLA as the UK’s best airport for low-cost airlines. In addition, our outstanding customer service has been recognised with a number of awards, including ACI’s European Airport of the Year 2024 (10-25 million passengers)”.
London Gatwick pointed out that the airport is the world’s “most efficient single-runway airport”, has “hit 100per cent of its agreed service metrics”, and that a £7million refurbishment of the South Terminal is nearing completion.
London Stansted Airport highlights that it has welcomed 30million passengers in the last year and has launched a five-year £1.2bn investment programme to transform the airport. It also reports an increase in customer satisfaction levels.
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