Picture this: you’re sitting in an airport departure lounge, sipping on a glass of fizz, after sailing through security in record time.
While this seamless pre-travel experience does exist, there’s one UK airport where, statistically, you’re pretty likely to have the opposite.
It’s thanks to a new survey by consumer champion Which?, that ranked the best and worst airports across the country.
And winner of the ‘worst’ title, you ask? Manchester Terminal 3.
Which? spoke to over 6,000 passengers who rated 27 of the UK’s commercial airports from the past year, based on 8,000 trips.
They voted on factors such as late cancellations, food and drink outlets, check-in and passport control queues — which include EES chaos — cleanliness and seating.
There were also ‘rip-off’ drop-off fees and ‘exhausting’ layouts taken into consideration, too.
Unfortunately for Manchester, it’s the fourth year in a row that T3 has held the title of the UK’s worst airport, scoring just 52%.
Which? reviewers dubbed it ‘quite appalling’. In fact, the consumer champion themselves had some rather choice advice: ‘Fly from Liverpool instead.’
If you’re keen to avoid such an airport experience, you might be wondering which airport came out as the UK’s best.
That goes to Exeter, which came out with an impressive 83% score.
Exeter topped the tables for short queues (if any at all), cleanliness and customer service, and was hailed as comfortable, efficient and compact.
Why was Manchester Terminal 3 ranked worst airport?
First things first, let us explain why Manchester T1 failed to make it onto 2026’s survey.
This is because officially, it closed in November 2025. However, parts of the former Manchester Airport Terminal 1— specifically the old Terminal 1 Departures A entrance, security area, and duty-free space — were rebranded and integrated into Terminal 3.
This closure is what led to the low layout score, with one customer telling Which? that their T3 experience was ‘defined by poor layout and a lack of passenger consideration.’
They also said that ‘the walking distances are excessive, exacerbated by the fact that security and lounges are located in the old T1 area, forcing a constant backtrack.’
Other complaints included the ‘long and exhausting walk from the airport rail/tram station’ — especially when heavy luggage is involved — and when the ‘moving walkways are out of action.’
Travelling through Terminal 3 with Ryanair this summer? Here’s what to expect✈️ #FlyThroughSummer
♬ Diana Ross Tom Jones The Cardigans Upside Down – Love Music 2026
In terms of long waiting times, another traveller said they endured a two-hour check-in queue due to broken check-in machines, 20-minute queues for cafés and toilets, and ‘nowhere to sit.’
They stated this was ‘appalling for a supposedly modern airport.’
The scores for the queuing category saw Manchester T3 come in last place, alongside Luton, Manchester Terminal 2, London Stansted and Birmingham.
Manchester T3 scores broken down look like this:
• Customer service: 2/5
• Check-in queues: 2/5
• Airport security queues: 2/5
• Passport control queues: 2/5
• Baggage reclaim wait: 2/5
• Seating: 2/5
• Food and drink: 2/5
• Cleanliness: 2/5
Does Manchester Terminal 3 have improvement plans?
After publishing the survey, Manchester Airport spoke to Which? about its results.
It told the consumer champion that there is a ‘project ongoing to remove and replace the old travelators’ as part of a multi-million-pound refurbishment scheme.
Meanwhile, the airport will be using the ‘freed-up space’ from Terminal 1 to grow the entrance, security and departure lounge. The remodel will also reportedly include more shops and restaurants.
Manchester Airport also told Which? that, despite the data revealed in the survey, 75% of its passengers waited just five minutes or less to get to security.
Have you ever flown from Exeter? #airportreview #flywithme #relatable #british #exeterairport
So, what makes Exeter the best airport?
According to the survey, the general consensus is that Exeter is streamlined from arrival to departure.
Travellers praised the time it takes from landing to leaving the airport, that the car park is a two-minute walk from the terminal, and that there were ‘no queues anywhere.’
Previous customers also reported that the departure lounge has plenty of comfortable seating.
Of course, smaller airports like Exeter and Southampton are able to facilitate smoother and quicker journeys because of their size.
So, travellers heading to destinations further afield — and that require the major airports — should take this into account.
The top 10 UK airports in 2026
- Exeter — 83% customer score
- Liverpool (John Lennon) — 79% customer score
- London City — 78% customer score
- Norwich — 78% customer score
- Cardiff — 77% customer score
- Bournemouth — 76% customer score
- East Midlands — 75% customer score
- Southampton — 74% customer score
- Belfast City (George Best) — 73% customer score
- Newcastle — 73% customer score
Comment now
Comments
Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source