In recent months alone, it has faced protests, power cuts, queues, delays and cancellations.
And now Manchester has been named the worst airport in the UK.
The airport’s Terminal 3 came last in Which?’s annual airport survey for the third year running.
The terminal received just a one-star rating for seating, staff, security queues, variety of shops and prices in shops, and failed to score more than two stars in any of the remaining categories, including toilets.
Meanwhile, Manchester’s Terminal 1 came second from bottom in the survey, which asked 5,000 British travellers to rate their experiences at airports, while its Terminal 2 came sixth from bottom.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport (above) was voted the UK’s best airport, with travellers giving it five stars for its “friendly” and “kind” staff, as well as its queues at baggage drop and security.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Our survey found that many of the largest airports are failing to meet basic requirements – passengers are often unhappy with the availability of toilets and seating and sometimes report long queues.”
Manchester Terminal 3 came bottom of Which?’s annual airport survey for the third year running
In June, all flights out of Manchester Airport’s Terminals 1 and 2 were cancelled after a “significant power outage” left hundreds of holidaymakers stranded.
Meanwhile, in July, a man was filmed being kicked in the head by a police officer at Terminal 2, sparking two nights of protests in Rochdale and Manchester.
One traveller surveyed as part of the study described their time in Terminal 3 as “queues, queues, queues… understaffed, poorly trained, ill-mannered, borderline rude”, while another said: “Manchester Terminal 3 sums up everything that’s wrong with UK airports. Too many flights means too many people crammed into a space not designed to accommodate so many people.” Others complained about a lack of seating.
At the other end of the table, Liverpool John Lennon Airport was voted the UK’s best airport, with travellers giving it five stars for its “friendly” and “kind” staff, as well as its queues at baggage drop and security.
Overall, smaller airports fared better than their larger rivals: respondents reported shorter queues and an overall less stressful experience.
London City Airport came in second, followed by Norwich, Exeter and Southampton. Luton was the worst rated London airport, closely followed by Stansted.
London City Airport (above) came second, with five stars for queues and staff.
Norwich Airport came third, with four stars for Wi-Fi and five stars for staff.
Rory Boland, editor of Which one? TravelHe said: ‘Our survey found that many of the largest airports are failing at the basics: passengers are often unhappy with the availability of toilets and seats, and sometimes report long queues. Selling fast passes and filling terminals with commercial space and airport lounges is a source of revenue, but judging by the results of our survey, it is not what passengers need.
‘In contrast, smaller airports may have few shops and others like City have no private lounges, but our survey shows that what they can do is get passengers on holiday quickly and smoothly. Next time you book a flight, it’s worth considering not just your chosen airline, but also the airport – it could make all the difference to the start of your getaway.’
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: ‘Manchester Airport is proud to offer people across the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations around the world.
‘We understand that not every experience is perfect and we want all passengers to feel empowered to raise any concerns directly with us.’
