Passengers have ranked the UK's best and worst airports, and it's not good news for some of the country's busiest travel hubs. A new survey by consumer group Which? asked nearly 6,000 people to rate UK airports on everything from seating and security queues to toilets, food prices and customer service. While smaller airports dominated the top of the table for offering a calm, stress-free experience, larger airports were criticised for overcrowding, high prices and long waits.
London Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, came only 13th overall. Its best performing terminal, Terminal 5, scored 59%. Terminals 2, 3 and 4 all landed in the mid-50s. But Heathrow hit back at the findings. A 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 94% of passengers telling us they experienced a good or excellent journey.
"More than 96% 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."
Manchester Airport performed the worst overall. Terminal 3 came bottom of the entire list for the fourth year in a row, with a customer score of 43%.
Terminal 1 was second from last on 47%, while Terminal 2 managed 53%. One passenger said Terminal 3 was "absolutely not set up for that number of passengers" and added: "There is nowhere to sit."
Another described Terminal 1's cleanliness as "appalling," saying the toilets were "often overflowing".
But Manchester Airport strongly defended its record. 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, 91% 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."
London Luton was the lowest rated of the London airports, with a customer score of 51%. Passengers gave it one star for seating and food prices, with one calling it "disorganised" and complaining of "overpriced food and drink options".
But Luton Airport responded, saying the results do not reflect the full picture. A 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 four out of five 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, which handles tens of millions of passengers each year, scored 57% in its North Terminal and 55% in the South. Common issues included poor seating and high prices in shops and restaurants.
But Gatwick Airport pointed to recent upgrades. A spokesperson said: "With flights departing or arriving every 55 seconds, London Gatwick is proud to be the world's most efficient single-runway airport.
"In the first half of 2025 passengers received great service, as the airport significantly improved its on-time performance, following excellent collaboration with airline partners and National Air Traffic Services (NATS).
"London Gatwick also hit 100% of its agreed service metrics, getting passengers through security in five minutes or less 98% of the time, following a £60m investment to become fully compliant with the Department for Transport mandate to install next generation security screening technology.
"A £7m investment to refurbish the South Terminal and enhance the departure lounge experience for passengers is nearing completion. In 2024 a full refurbishment of the North Terminal departure lounge concluded with new flooring, more seating with different areas to suit varying passenger requirements, better sightlines to shops and restaurants, and other features to improve the passenger experience."
London Stansted, which came 18th with a score of 53%, also defended its service and outlined plans for expansion.
A spokesperson said: "London Stansted is proud to have welcomed a record-breaking 30m passengers to the airport in the last year, driven by the great value and reliable service on offer, and convenient access to over 200 destinations across Europe and beyond.
"To keep pace with our continued growth, we have kicked off a five-year £1.2bn investment programme to transform the airport, delivering wide-ranging benefits to passengers and helping secure links to even more global destinations.
"The centrepiece of the plans is an extension to the airport's existing terminal, which will create a bright spacious environment, with more seating areas plus new shops, bars and restaurants.
"While we have significantly increased passenger numbers and added new destinations, we also saw an increase in customer satisfaction levels. We survey hundreds of passengers every week with more than 91% rating their experience as good, very good or excellent so far this year.
"We have also delivered a strong and consistent security performance for our passengers this summer, with at least 95% passing safely through security in less than 15 minutes each month."
At the top of the table were Exeter, Liverpool John Lennon, and London City, all of which received the prestigious Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) endorsement.
One traveller described Exeter as "a relaxed and stress-free travel experience." Passengers at Liverpool John Lennon praised its "efficient, clean" layout and "consistently quick and hassle-free" security. London City was the only airport to earn five stars across all queue categories.
Rory Boland, the Editor of Which? Travel, said: "While some airports show that the few hours before your flight can be an enjoyable start to a holiday, others are an endurance test as passengers feel more like cattle herded from expensive shops to overpriced bars and restaurants, as well as dealing with long queues and dirty toilets.
"Next time you're booking a flight, it's well worth considering not just your choice of airline but also your airport - it could make all the difference to the start of your getaway and maybe even get that holiday feeling started a little sooner."
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