Luton Airport has been named the worst UK airport for a third year running in the Which? magazine annual survey.
Poor customer service, queuing at passport control and poor facilities all helped add up to a dismal customer satisfaction score of 35%. And there doesn’t seem to be any sign of major improvement soon, as the airport remains in the throes of refurbishment set to last until 2026.
The Which? survey was based on over 11,000 passenger visits to UK airports.
Stansted and Manchester’s Terminal 3 were also shamed for poor passport control and security queues (in this category they were even worse than Luton, with just one star each). Both airports finished joint second bottom with a score of 44%.
The UK’s best airport Leading the way in the UK, for the second year, is Doncaster Sheffield airport with a customer score of 87%. Passengers praised the airport’s short queues, excellent facilities and speedy baggage reclaim process. London Southend was closed behind on a score of 84%.
Which? magazine said that with its ambitions to expand, Doncaster Sheffield could soon become the go-to airport for holidaymakers in the North if it can maintain its high standard.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor said: “Travellers want to start their trips in the smoothest way, but long queues through airports and a lack of facilities can cast a rain cloud over any getaway.
“With new routes launching all the time, passengers have an increasing choice over not just who they fly with but where they fly from.”
Robert Hough, chairman of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, added: “We’re proud to be judged the UK and the North’s best airport; this is great recognition of the exceptional customer service offered by every single member of the team. We have always set out to deliver a top-class passenger experience, it’s what people should enjoy when at an airport.
“This has been a strong year for us, we have announced long-haul flights with TUI to Sandford, Florida, the region’s only long-haul service and new Wizz routes to Hungary. We have expanded to over 55 routes with many more in the pipeline.
“The overwhelming support to our draft masterplan showed how much customers, businesses, airlines and local partners value the contribution that we make to the region and are right behind our plans to grow, including our push for rail connectivity.”
Birmingham has expanded significantly and gained the best overall score of the larger airports (61%) in the Which? Survey, beating Manchester’s T2 (51%) to be crowned the best ‘second city’ airport.
With a score of 63%, Heathrow’s Terminal 5 had an even better score than Birmingham. But passenger experiences at the UK’s largest airport depended on which terminal they used, with Heathrow T3 being down at 55%. Passengers marked down the score due to queues at passport control and a limited range of shops and restaurants.
Read more from the Which? survey here: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/08/luton-named-worst-uk-airport-for-the-third-year-running/ – Which?
