The best and worst airports in the UK for flight delay durations have officially been revealed, and it’s bad news for Manchester.
Manchester Airport has been ranked second worst on the list, with an average delay of 29 minutes.
It comes after what can only be described as repeated scenes of chaos for travellers this past summer at the UK’s third largest airport – 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.
Angry passengers from our region’s airport over the past three years since travel resumed after the first COVID-19 lockdown have described their experiences “chaotic”, “heaving”, and “an end-to-end shambles.
And now, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has analysed data by the PA news agency, and considered all scheduled and chartered departures in 2022.
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Cancelled flights were, however, not included in this particular analysis.
Manchester Airport named second worst UK airport for flight delays / Credit: Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
Birmingham Airport was named as the worst in the UK for flight punctuality for the second year in a row, with flights delayed by an average of 30 minutes.
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Doncaster Sheffield Airport – which closed in November – came in joint second place with Manchester, while Luton came in fourth place with a 28-minute average delay, and Gatwick rounds out the top five with an average of 27 minutes.
Top 10 Worst UK Airports for Flight Delays
Birmingham (30 minutes)
Manchester(29 minutes)
Doncaster Sheffield (29 minutes)
Luton (28 minutes)
Gatwick (27 minutes)
Bristol (26 minutes)
Cardiff (24 minutes)
Edinburgh (24 minutes)
Heathrow (22 minutes)
Newcastle (21 minutes)
On the other end of the scale, the UK airport with the shortest average delay duration was East Midlands Airport at 13 minutes.
“Our data tells us that too many passengers faced disappointing levels of delays across UK airports last year,” explained the CAA’s Head of Consumer, Anna Bowles.
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“It is important consumers experience a high-quality service from both airlines and airports this year [and] we expect airlines to proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are disrupted.”
Last October, Manchester Airport was also officially named the worst airport in the UK by consumer group Which? Which? after feedback was gathered from more than 7,000 people about their experiences of flying from UK airports between July 2020 and July 2022.
Featured Image – Manchester Airport
News
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Emily Sergeant -
9th May 2023 
