It’s not a title we’re massively buzzing to hear about… but Manchester Airport has just been named in the top 10 UK airports with the longest delays.
It’s all according to a new study by travel tips and discount platform, Tripplo.
We can all pretty much agree that delays are one of the worst parts about flying, but where in the country are you most likely to get held up and find yourself having to kill a couple of hours waiting around? In a bid to get to the bottom of this, Trippolo has analysed the latest travel data from the Civil Aviation Authority to see which UK airports were experiencing the longest delays on average.
Manchester Airport has, unfortunately, found itself sitting within the not-so-coveted top 10 – but thankfully, our region wasn’t found to be the worst offender in the study.
Manchester Airport has been named in top 10 UK airports with the longest delays / Credit: Natali Quijano | Suhyeon Choi (via Unsplash)
That honour (if you can even call it that) has been awarded to Aberdeen in Scotland, where the airport sees the longest delays of any in the UK.
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With an average delay of 20.70 minutes from 6,757 flights studied – which is over four minutes longer than any other airport – the latest data from December 2023 shows that the average delay at Aberdeen that month was 26.04 minutes.
Second place on the list goes to Isle of Man Airport, also known as Ronaldsway Airport, where there was an average delays of 22.53 minutes, and then the UK’s second-busiest airport, London Gatwick, has claimed the third spot, with an average delay of 15.47 minutes for 58,762 flights studied in 2023.
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Manchester Airport comes in fourth place on the list.
It’s all according to a new study by travel tips and discount platform, Tripplo / Credit: Anete Lūsiņa (via Unsplash)
Our region‘s travel hub saw average delays of 14.02 minutes in 2023 for a total of 39,771 flights that were studied, and data from December showed the average delay that month to be 21.63 minutes.
Rounding out the top five is another London airport in Luton, while some of the other airports featuring in the top 10 include Heathrow, Bristol, and Edinburgh.
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Top 10 UK airports with the longest average delays
Aberdeen – 20.7 minutes
Isle of Man – 16.22 minutes
Gatwick – 15.47 minutes
Manchester – 14.02 minutes
Luton – 13.58 minutes
Heathrow – 13.56 minutes
Edinburgh – 13.31 minutes
Teeside – 12.51 minutes
Bristol – 12.44 minutes
Stanstead – 12.43 minutes
“While it’s never ideal for any of your flights to be delayed, you’ll likely experience it at some point, especially if you’re a frequent flyer,” commented Axel Hernborg, who is the founder of Tripplo.com, on the study’s finding.
“That being said, it’s interesting to see the big difference in the length of delays at certain UK airports, and it will be worth seeing if this correlates with the number of cancellations at each of these airports as well.
“With the summer holidays also coming up, whether the amount of cancellations we have seen across the UK in recent years keeps up will be worth noting too.”
Featured Image – Albert Bridge (via Pxhere / Geograph)
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Manchester has been named one of the most ‘affordable’ cities in the UK – this is why
Emily Sergeant
A list of the top 10 most affordable cities in the UK has been revealed, and Manchester has made the cut for one very specific reason.
On a bit of a budget? Aren’t we all.
The cost of living crisis has been raging on for quite a few years now, and unfortunately, despite how much we all wish for it to, it doesn’t appear to be slowing down – with prices for everyday items, especially typical fridge and cupboard stables, shooting up by the day, even though supermarkets are showing efforts to prevent it.
And it’s the noticeable price increases in groceries that led delivery insurance provider, Street Cover, to uncover which UK cities don’t strain your food shopping budgets too much just yet.
As it was found that food and non-alcoholic drinks inflation reached 1.3% this past summer, a new study has revealed that Sheffield is officially the most affordable city in the UK, with several other northern locations on the list.
Manchester has been named one of the most ‘affordable’ cities in the UK / Credit: MCC | Aldi
The study compared the 2026 Grocery Index for the largest UK cities with the UK average, as well as available 2025 Grocery Indices, to track the changes in food affordability.
The cities are ranked by the index difference from the national average – which is 67.3 – but the report also uses direct monetary values for a grocery basket to provide some additional context too.
Manchester took sixth place on the list, with an average grocery basket price of £23.08, while some of the other northern cities in the top 10, besides Sheffield at number one, include Liverpool, Leeds, and Newcastle.
Top 10 Most Affordable UK Cities For Groceries
Sheffield
Milton Keynes
Liverpool
Reading
Newcastle
Manchester
Leeds
Bristol
Cardiff
Southampton
As the only other North West city in the top 10, Liverpool may have come in third place overall, but the study found that the grocery bill here is the smallest in terms of actual monetary numbers – with it setting shoppers back £22.08 for a regular supermarket basket, which is a whole £1 cheaper than in Manchester.
“Data shows households in the North East of England have the lowest average food spend in the country, around 11% below the UK average, while Yorkshire sits 6.6% below,” Al Taylor, who is the Head of Street Cover, commented on the study’s findings.
“Sheffield’s position at the top reflects lower property costs for retailers, less competition from premium chains, and a supermarket landscape dominated by value-led options.
“The practical implication for household budgets is significant – the difference between budget and premium shopping can easily be £1,000 or more per year for a family, which can be spent on other things or saved for future plans.”
Featured Image – Aldi
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Mancs wanted to take part in a new series of the ‘hardest quiz show on TV’
Emily Sergeant
Call yourself a clever clogs? The BBC is currently looking for contestants to take part in what is widely considered the hardest quiz show on TV.
That’s right – Only Connect is back for another series on BBC Two.
Presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell and first broadcast all the way back in 2008, Only Connect takes TV quizzing to the next level, as it sees two teams compete against each other by finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues.
In this quiz show – which viewers have dubbed one of the most challenging there is – knowledge only takes you so far, as the ability to think laterally is also deemed ‘vitally important’.
A casting call for the upcoming 2027 series has been shared on the BBC website, with people from Greater Manchester encouraged to apply.
Mancs wanted to take part in a new series of the ‘hardest quiz show on TV’ / Credit: BBC
The casting call reads: “The popular BBC Two quiz show presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell returns for a new series in 2027.
“Only Connect is seeking teams of three players OR single applicants or teams of two looking for like-minded teammates to pool their combined wits to solve fiendish conundrums and vexing puzzles.
“This is the quiz series where, as in life itself, knowledge will only take you so far: patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It’s all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.”
Reckon you’ve got what it takes then? Applications are now open, and all applicants must be aged 18 or over and a resident in the UK or Channel Islands.
Emily Sergeant -
6th March 2024 
