Which? name Manchester worst airport in UK for third year in a row
Manchester has been ranked the worst airport in the UK for the third year in a row, with passengers complaining of queues, lack of seating and expensive shops and restaurants.
Terminal 3 finished bottom of the study for the third year running while Liverpool John Lennon airport came out on top.
The UK consumer watchdog Which? revealed the ranking in its annual airport survey where they spoke to 7,000 people about their experiences in the last 12 months.
Airports were rated in 11 categories including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security.
One traveller told Which? their experience at Manchester Airport was "just awful", adding: "The worst advert for anyone flying to the UK. It’s the worst airport I have ever used."
Terminal 1, which is scheduled for closure next year, fared only marginally better, with a customer score of 40 per cent and came second bottom of the league.
Manchester, the UK’s third-biggest airport, received just one star for its staff, queues at security and prices in shops, and two star ratings in most of the remaining categories.
Its highest rating of three stars was for its toilets.
Terminal 2, which has undergone a huge upgrade, was the highest rated of Manchester’s Terminals, tied with Heathrow Terminal 4 with a score of 51 per cent.
But it still came 6th bottom in a league of 29 airport terminals across the country.
Manchester Airport bosses have hit back, branding the survey's findings as "outdated and unrepresentative".
They say the survey placed no value on the range of destinations offered or choice of airlines, nor did it rate the service to disabled passengers.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “As in previous years, Which? is letting consumers down with over-simplified judgements based on the outdated and unrepresentative testimony of a narrow group of travellers, as well as publishing misleading statements and factual inaccuracies.
"Manchester Airport is proud to give people in all parts of the north easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world.
"We know our nearly 30m passengers value the fact we make it possible for them to fly directly to places they otherwise wouldn't be able to, whether that is for business or leisure, to study or visit friends and family."
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