Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… again.
On what is a week of complete travel chaos nationwide, as thousands of passengers find themselves stranded due to air traffic control faults, and for what is the second year running, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading for holidaymakers in Greater Manchester.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which?’s latest findings.
Manchester Airport have slammed the survey, saying it’s ‘deeply flawed and misleading’ as well as ‘out of date’, pointing out that the pool of people surveyed equates to only around 0.002% of the airport’s annual passenger numbers.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 4,000 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.
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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 2022, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 38%.
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Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 44%, while Manchester Terminal 2 took the 20th spot on the list with a score of 50%, and only saw Luton Airport and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
As well as Manchester Airport ranking at the bottom for overall customer satisfaction, Which? also found that it was among the worst performing in the survey for security queues too.
Scenes from last year’s travel chaos for passengers at Manchester Airport / Credit: The Manc Group
An average waiting time of 28 minutes was reported at Manchester Terminal 3.
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According to Which?, one passenger who gave their feedback for the survey complained of “huge queues” at Manchester Terminal 3 check-in points, and even went on to call the whole situation of flying from the Airport a “joke”.
Similar to the overall feedback from last year, others who’ve flown from Manchester over the last 12 months have also dubbed the Airport experience as “crowded, noisy, and generally stressful”.
In reaction to retaining its place on Which?’s annual survey as the UK’s worst airport, a spokesperson for Manchester Airport has hit back.
The spokesperson dismissed the survey’s findings as “out of date” and “based on a tiny and unrepresentative sample of the 25 million passengers who travel through Manchester airport every year”.
The Airport claimed it received a 94% rating from its own survey of 840 passengers in July and August.
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Manchester Airport named worst in the UK in new Which? survey / Credit: Manchester Airport Group
Their statement said: “Manchester Airport is proud to give the people of the North easy and affordable access to a wide range of global destinations. We are committed to providing a great experience to all passengers, and feedback this summer has been really positive, building on the strong Christmas and Easter getaways we delivered.
“Our customer service is driven by investment in our people – we have recruited more than 3,000 colleagues since April 2022 and established a new 100-strong resilience team, trained in a variety of roles so they can respond at short-notice to ensure passengers get a good level of service. It is also driven by investment in our facilities, especially the £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2, through which more than 80% of our passengers will fly by 2025.
“We take all customer feedback seriously, but the Which? survey creates a deeply flawed and misleading picture of the service we are providing to our customers this summer.
“The survey is out of date – covering June 2022-June 2023 and not including the majority of this summer season – and is also based on a tiny and unrepresentative sample of the 25 million passengers who travel through Manchester Airport each year.
“Year-by-year the Which? survey becomes less and less relevant as response rates continue to dwindle, with half as many people surveyed this year as were 12 months ago. There were only 567 responses relating to Manchester Airport – 0.002% of our annual passenger numbers.
“As part of our commitment to delivering great customer service, we continually survey passengers. In July and August this year, 93% of those passengers rated their overall satisfaction with the service they received as good, very good or excellent.
“Since April this year, we have welcomed more than 10.4m people through Manchester Airport, who have travelled to more than 180 destinations with nearly 50 different airlines – and 95.6% of them have got through security in under 15 minutes. Almost three quarters got through security in under five minutes and 99.8% in under 30 minutes.”
To make matters worse for Manchester Airport and Greater Manchester passengers overall, it was actually another local neighbouring North West airport that’s come out on top, as Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been named the best in the UK – with a customer score of 82%, which is based on a combination of overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend.
Southampton (77%), Bournemouth (75%), East Midlands, and Newcastle (both scoring 72%) rounded out the rest of the top five best airports.
The UK’s Best and Worst Airports 2023
Liverpool John Lennon – 82% overall customer score
London City – 78%
Southampton – 77%
Bournemouth – 75%
East Midlands – 72%
Newcastle – 72%
Glasgow International – 62%
Leeds Bradford – 58%
London Gatwick North – 57%
London Heathrow – Terminal 4 – 57%
London Heathrow – Terminal 5 – 57%
Bristol – 56%
Aberdeen – 55%
Edinburgh – 55%
London Gatwick South – 54%
London Heathrow – Terminal 2 – 54%
London Heathrow – Terminal 3 – 54%
Birmingham – 53%
London Stansted – 51%
Manchester Terminal 2 – 50%
Belfast International – 49%
Luton – 49%
Manchester Terminal 1 – 44%
Manchester Terminal 3 – 38%
Featured Image – Manchester Airport Group
News
Lemn Sissay OBE pens powerful poem about Manchester City for Black History Month
Danny Jones
Lauded local poet Lemn Sissay MBE has penned a moving poem in collaboration with Manchester City, looking back on the club’s cultural past and key persons of colour for Black History Month.
Born in Orrell in the borough of Wigan, the published author, playwright, and BAFTA-nominated broadcaster has made a name as one of our region’s most notable wordsmiths, so it’s no wonder that he was selected by the Cityzens to touch on this particular topic.
Teaming up not only with Man City but the club’s first-ever Black footballer, Stan Horne, as well as other senior stars from the Maine Road days, all the way up to the modern Etihad era.
‘The Stadium Speaks’ by Lemn Sissay – a poem commissioned by Manchester City for Black History Month 2025
Entitled The Stadium Speaks, the public reading of the verses runs for just under two minutes, but even in the relatively short space of time, there is so much power in this poignant poem.
Roping in help from other past players like Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Shaun Goater, as well as current stars like Ruben Dias, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Jeremy Doku, each line leaves just as much impact as the last.
Just as importantly, they were also joined by Jahmal Williams-Thomas, City Matters’ Black and Mixed Heritage representative, Bing Findlater – the Official Supporter Club’s Equality and Inclusion Lead, as well as several other City fans and staff who work throughout the Eithad Campus.
Each individual who lends themselves to the performance delivers their part perfectly and from the heart; after all, Black culture isn’t something strictly celebrated during the month of October, but throughout communities all year round – as it should be.
Sissay, 58, clearly relished the chance to dive into how Greater Manchester‘s history intersects with not only football, but racism, equality, progress and more.
One stands and we all stand One falls and we all fall We are Manchester City And we stand tall
To celebrate Black History Month Manchester City Football Club commissioned me to write this poem to reflect on the club's journey from Maine Road to today. I have called it…
Speaking via a statement on the club website: “Manchester felt like home to me, the moment I stepped foot across the boundary. I came here very early on, when I think I was 13, I came to see Manchester City play. The first time I came to this city was to see City.
“I want the poem to be owned by the person who’s in the stand watching the game. And I wanted the poem to be owned by the person on the pitch who’s playing it. And I want them to feel proud reading it.”
The post goes on to reiterate that just like all teams throughout the football pyramid, racism and discrimination in all its forms should not and WILL not be tolerated.
Asking supporters to step up and speak as and when needed, City fans can report abuse and/or inappropriate behaviour to 07700151894, which will make security aware of what has been witnessed.
Feedback can also be shared anonymously by texting the specific block, row, seat number and a short description of the incident to the number; if in doubt, talk to a steward or police officer at the game.
Elsewhere, the official MCFC Supporter Charter sets out their zero-tolerance policy when it comes to discrimination, and fans can also report online discriminatory abuse they see targeted at Premier League players, managers, coaches, match officials and their families directly HERE.
Salford City set to reverse kit colour following clear-cut fan vote
Danny Jones
Salford City FC are set to make a historic change, or rather turn back time, as the Greater Manchester side looks set to change its main kit colour back to orange.
The Ammies are undergoing another big overhaul – the most significant since the ‘Class of 92’ bought the club back in 2014 – with supporters being invited to give their thoughts on the direction they want to see the club going in.
Currently sitting ninth in the third tier after making a positive start to the 2025/26 campaign, Salford City have been met not only with fresh investment in recent months but a fresh push for change from the ground up.
Including, as it turns out, the kit colour. After genuine calls to reverse the kit colour from the fans, the Salford board took a fan poll, with over three-quarters of all those who took part voting to return the City jersey to orange.
As you can see, 77.1% of Ammies confirmed that they were in favour of bringing back the predominantly orange and black shirt, shorts and socks; the switch is expected to happen before next season.
The League Two side has made it clear that promotion to the Championship is the big target over the next few years, and as the new consortium headed up by Gary Neville and David Beckham continues to try and transform the club once again, they’re looking to make big statements.
It doesn’t get much more foundational than restoring the orange shirts that Salford City wore for the best part of four decades prior to the initial takeover.
The decision itself comes after a thorough ‘heritage consultation’ process, where the older Neville brother and other key figures took supporter feedback into consideration, including the majority kit vote.
In terms of announcing the change, they’ve had plenty of fun revealing the outcome on social media, too.
Sharing a full statement on the club website, SCFC went on to detail that there is “significant work to be undertaken at the Peninsula Stadium to update cladding and seats, amongst other infrastructure upgrades that are already due to take place.”
Hoping to combine their “tangerine heritage with modern style to create a striking orange identity”, the overall brand aim is now simpler than ever: “when you see orange, you will know what it means. This is Salford. Proud. Unmistakable.”
Long-time supporter, Richard Kedzior – who also owns the recognisable orange and black flag that hangs in the west stand – said of the news: “I’m delighted that we’ve reverted back to orange, which over a 40-year period was the colour we were always associated with prior to the change to red.
“It’s a welcome return to tradition as well as giving us back our unique identity that will once again identify us all as proud supporters of Salford‘s premier football club.”
Before the reversal was fully confirmed, co-owner Neville discussed the potential change in a room full of passionate Salfordians.
Old Dead Tree fanzine committee member, Kev Wright, continued in the statement: “The orange kit represents Salford’s true identity. It sets us apart and reminds everyone that we are our own Club, not just a shadow of Manchester United.
“When we play in red, the comparisons are inevitable, and people can mistake us for something we’re not. Salford is different. It’s about local pride, about belonging to a community with its own history and its own future. Orange gives us a distinct voice and a colour we can call our own. It’s more than just a kit – it’s a statement that we are Salford, and proud!”
Signing off, fellow Ammie Deb Sculthorpe believes that this could be the ‘fresh start’ that the 85-year-old footballing outfit needs, adding that “timing is everything and now is the time.”
A further consultation is set to take place regarding the club crest, too, as some have also suggested reverting the modern logo to the old Salford Central-style badge, with more information to be shared as and when.
What do you make of the decision to swap the modern Salford red for Greater Manchester‘s second city classic orange strip, Ammies?
Emily Sergeant -
30th August 2023 
