Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
ADVERTISEMENT
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.
“This is completely unacceptable.”
Featured Image – Manchester Airport Group
News
AO Arena are hosting an ‘Evening 4’ Ricky Hatton in memory of the legendary Manchester boxer
Danny Jones
Manchester is set to host a night of remembrance and celebration in honour of the late, great, local boxer, Ricky Hatton.
Coming this summer, the AO Arena – where Hatton enjoyed so many of his iconic moments – will be holding the first-ever ‘Evening4Ricky’ later this year.
Held at the legendary sports and live entertainment venue just in time for summer, we still know very little about what the actual event will entail.
Sharing the news on social media, AO Arena said: “Join us for an unforgettable night of entertainment as Manchester comes together for Evening4Ricky.
“This will be a spectacular, unique celebration of the life, spirit and legacy of one of the city’s most beloved icons – Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton.”
With seats priced at £25, fans are being encouraged to join the early bird sign-up to secure access to discounted tickets.
They go on to add: “Hosted at the legendary AO Arena, home to so many of Ricky’s big fights, featuring a superstar cast of legends from the worlds of boxing, music, comedy and entertainment.”
So, we do at least know there’ll be some famous faces coming along to help make it a memorable Manc moment, just a few months on from the city and beyond uniting for his public funeral procession.
Ricky was beloved not only by the Greater Manchester community but was a popular figure and friend to many in the sporting and showbiz industries.
The homegrown ‘Pride of Hyde‘ tragically left us on 14 September 2025 at the age of just 46, but his passing has once again helped reassert the importance of having more conversations around wellbeing, suicide prevention, and most specifically, men’s mental health.
You can find more information and see how to grab tickets right HERE.
This isn’t the only charitable in memoriam event happening across the region in the coming weeks, either, as Mancs will be gathering to pay tribute to another fellow inspiring sportsman.
Man jailed for stalking, strangling, and raping woman in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A man has been jailed this week for several offences including rape, strangulation and stalking while living in Manchester.
Jack-Leland Webster – previously Jack Malone – of Cedar Road, Earl Shilton in Leicester, appeared at Manchester Crown Court and was sentenced yesterday (8 April 2026) after being found guilty of rape and strangulation, following pleaded guilty to stalking the victim at a previous hearing.
The incidents took place back in June2024, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained, when Webster had accused the victim of cheating with her ex-boyfriend.
The victim had been in communication with her ex after he had reached out to her to let her know he was ‘concerned’ after he found out that Webster had been impersonating him to message the victim and test her loyalty throughout their relationship.
As the victim attempted to exit the flat, Webster blocked the doorways to prevent her from leaving. He then proceeded to get on top of the victim and while he strangled her, said: “Don’t make me kill you. If you do, I’ll have to kill myself so we can be dead together,” before proceeding to sexually assault her.
While on bail, Webster purchased numerous fake social media accounts to follow and contact the victim, as well as her family and her friends, which was in breach of his no contact conditions. On one occasion, the victim was followed by over 100 accounts on a social media platform in a matter of seconds.
During police interviews, Webster denied all charges against him.
When an officer tried to arrange his second interview, Webster was described as being ‘obstructive’ and even told the officer to “pick me up from KFC” and “catch me if you can”.
“Webster showed no remorse throughout the investigation and treated it as a game,” GMP said following his sentencing.
As mentioned, Webster pleaded guilty to stalking before he went to trial, where a jury found him guilty of rape and strangulation. And then Wednesday 8 April 2026 at Manchester Crown Court, he was sentenced tonine years and five months in prison.
He has also been given an indefinite restraining order.
Emily Sergeant -
5th September 2024 
