Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by consumer choice group Which?
The UK’s third largest airport grabbed headlines repeatedly due to its scenes of chaos for travellers this past summer – with long delays, unplanned flight cancellations, and queues so long that many were required to turn up hours in advance and even then still miss their flights in the most unfortunate cases.
And now, the country’s biggest consumer body has named it the worst in the UK.
For its annual survey, Which? gathered feedback from more than 7,000 people about their experiences of flying from UK airports between July 2020 and July 2022 – with Manchester’s Terminal 3 receiving the lowest customer score of 38%.
Angry travellers from our region’s airport over the past two years described their experiences “chaotic”, “heaving”, and “an end-to-end shambles, with people explaining they were mainly frustrated by the queues throughout the place – for everything from getting through security, to buying something to eat and drink.
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Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK / Credit: The Manc Group
Terminal 1 (41%) and Terminal 2 (47%) did fare a little better in the survey than Terminal 3, but passengers said they were still pretty irritated by long waits.
According to Which?, it’s not just the recent survey results that have been pretty damning for Manchester Airport, as many of its members have regularly reported over the years that the airport is “grim”, with others saying the layout was “poorly designed”, and that basically, “it’s just not a nice airport.”
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Manchester’s neighbouring airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, however, has come out with a glowing review from the Which? survey – receiving a ‘Which? Recommended Provider’ status and obtaining a score of 83%.
“It’s much smaller, less manic and so much more civilised than Manchester,” one passenger claimed.
We've ranked airports up and down the country. Where has your go-to airport landed in our table? ✈️ https://t.co/3p8uSoz1L3
Speaking on taking the title as the UK’s worst airport, and addressing the survey head-on, a spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: “We apologise to any customer who feels their experience was not of the standard we want to deliver over the past two years.
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“The pandemic was the biggest crisis faced by our industry in its history.
“At one stage, passenger numbers at Manchester Airport dropped to just 5% of normal levels and airports around the world had to cut costs just to survive.
Manchester’s Terminal 3 received the lowest customer score of 38%, according to Which? / Credit: The Manc Group
“Earlier this year, the whole of the travel industry then faced unprecedented challenges as travel restrictions were removed and demand returned rapidly to the market, and Manchester Airport was no different. The hugely competitive employment market and delays in training and vetting meant there were times when we were unable to keep up with passenger demand, which resulted in longer waiting times than we would like.”
The spokesperson added that the Airport is “looking forward to delivering a positive experience to all our passengers this winter, and into summer 2023.”
Featured Image – Manchester Airport
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The 2025 Manchester Marathon is set to create the UK’s biggest-ever day of running
Danny Jones
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is just a month away now and as this year’s race is once again set to coincide with another major event (quite literally), it’s about to become the biggest day of runningin UK history.
Like, ever…
Greater Manchester is no stranger to making sporting history, be it athletics, football, tennis or otherwise – you name it, we can lay our claim to plenty.
However, stuff like this always makes us feel part of something truly ‘greater’ and genuinely special as the tens of thousands preparing to run through the city centre and surrounding areas are about to put us in the record books in the running world.
Credit: Manchester Marathon
As more than 36,000 racers, joggers, fundraisers and downright legends are scheduled to take on the Manchester Marathon this year – with the annual event on course to break its attendance record – even more will be taking on the equivalent down south, given it is one of the official World Majors.
Recently, the Manchester and London Marathons have been colliding, and with the 2025 editions of both due to take place on the same day for the second year in a row, it means there’ll be an unprecedented number of participants taking on the 26.2-mile challenge.
More accurately, it’s predicted that over 90,000 runners will be out on the roads of the nation’s capital and its second city (yeah, you heard us, Birmingham), which will be the greatest concurrent number in British history – at least on record when it comes to marathons.
The potential milestones don’t stop with just those taking part, either; as per an official press release from the event time, it’s predicted to be a record-breaking day for charity too.
An estimated £80m is set to be raised for charitable causes, including the adidas Manchester Marathon charity partners: the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society, The Christie and Cancer Research UK. Incredible stuff.
In one month you’ll be making your way to the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon start line!📢
We are buzzing – are you? Comment the GIF that best describes how you are feeling one month out ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1ioROLfejW
Commenting on what will be a historic day for UK Marathons, Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. UK, said: “Having the adidas Manchester Marathon and the London Marathon take place on the same day — Sunday 27th April — marks a landmark moment for British running.
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of this historic occasion, inspiring 90,000 people to take on 26.2 miles, supported by nearly a million spectators across the country.
As if all this wasn’t already momentous enough, nearly a million spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on all the PB hopefuls and fundraisers – we can only hope for similarly groundbreaking crowds and levels of support to mark the occasion.
Featured Images — adidas Manchester Marathon (supplied)
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ITV’s Dancing on Ice is being taken off the air after nearly two decades
Danny Jones
A UK TV staple looks to have come to an end after nearly 20 years as ITV appears to have axed, or at the very least shelved, their long-standing annual show, Dancing on Ice.
The celebrity ice-skating competition and reality programme started all the way back in 2006 and was a British favourite for a long time, especially during the heyday of X-Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, I’m A Celeb and the like.
However, following a slump over recent years, ITV has announced that Dancing on Ice will not be returning next year and could be seemingly be sidelined indefinitely.
Confirmed on Thursday, 27 March, just over a fortnight after Coronation Street star Sam Aston (Chesney Brown) won the 2025 final, it looks like you won’t be seeing celebs skating on ice again for some time.
Speaking to the Metro, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said in an official statement: “Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing On Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series.”
The 2025 Dancing on Ice lineup (Credit: ITVX)
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the cast and crew who have worked on the show since 2006, and over the previous 17 series, for all of their hard work both on and off the ice.”
An average of just under three million viewers tuned into ITV1 live for the launch of the most recent show back in January, while approximately 3.6 million tuned in to watch the first episode last year.
Presented by familiar famous faces, Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern, judged by ice skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, as well as dancing duo Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse – with previous hosts including Christine Lampard and Phillip Schofield – it’s been a mainstay for 19 years.
ITV has actually halted Dancing on Ice once before just over a decade ago, when the show was rested after its ninth season; the ‘first’ run ended with an all-star series, only for it to ultimately return to our screens just four years later in 2018.
Having now been cut short just 12 months short of its 20th anniversary, fans as well as former cast and crew members alike have been bidding it bittersweet goodbye:
So #DancingOnIce has been shelved for the 2nd time. Sadly I saw this coming right from the moment I knew Jane & Chris were performing for the last time. The format had become tired and the ratings were atrocious. The correct decision. pic.twitter.com/bo7FZXozAP
— All Things Dancing On Ice (@AllThingsDOI) March 26, 2025
Radio and TV enthusiast Ryan Glendenning went on to add: “Also take a moment to acknowledge the hard work that went into Dancing on Ice from the pros, behind the scenes people, choreographers, judges and the celebs.
“Back in the Ray Quinn/Hayley Tamadon days, the show thrived – sadly, that’s not the case anymore. ITV killed this show!”
Emily Sergeant -
27th October 2022 
