This ‘appalling’ airport is officially the UK’s worst — here’s where to fly from instead

How does your local airport fare? (Picture: Shutterstock / Hananeko_Studio) Picture this: you’re sitting in an airport departure lounge, sipping on a glass of fizz, after sailing through security in record time. While this seamless pre-travel experience does exist, there’s one UK airport where, statistically, you’re pretty likely to have the opposite. It’s thanks to a new survey by consumer champion Which?, that ranked the best and worst airports across the country. And winner of the ‘worst’ title, you ask? Manchester Terminal 3. Which? spoke to over 6,000 passengers who rated 27 of the UK’s commercial airports from the past year, based on 8,000 trips. They voted on factors such as late cancellations, food and drink outlets, check-in and passport control queues — which include EES chaos — cleanliness and seating. There were also ‘rip-off’ drop-off fees and ‘exhausting’ layouts taken into consideration, too. Manchester Terminal 3 needs to up its game, according to the stats (Picture: Shutterstock / Colinmthompson) Unfortunately for Manchester, it’s the fourth year in a row that T3 has held the title of the UK’s worst airport, scoring just 52%. Which? reviewers dubbed it ‘quite appalling’. In fact, the consumer champion themselves had some rather choice advice: ‘Fly from Liverpool instead.’ Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. If you’re keen to avoid such an airport experience, you might be wondering which airport came out as the UK’s best. That goes to Exeter, which came out with an impressive 83% score. Exeter topped the tables for short queues (if any at all), cleanliness and customer service, and was hailed as comfortable, efficient and compact. Why was Manchester Terminal 3 ranked worst airport? First things first, let us explain why Manchester T1 failed to make it onto 2026’s survey. This is because officially, it closed in November 2025. However, parts of the former Manchester Airport Terminal 1— specifically the old Terminal 1 Departures A entrance, security area, and duty-free space — were rebranded and integrated into Terminal 3. This closure is what led to the low layout score, with one customer telling Which? that their T3 experience was ‘defined by poor layout and a lack of passenger consideration.’ They also said that ‘the walking distances are excessive, exacerbated by the fact that security and lounges are located in the old T1 area, forcing a constant backtrack.’ Other complaints included the ‘long and exhausting walk from the airport rail/tram station’ — especially when heavy luggage is involved — and when the ‘moving walkways are out of action.’ In terms of long waiting times, another traveller said they endured a two-hour check-in queue due to broken check-in machines, 20-minute queues for cafés and toilets, and ‘nowhere to sit.’ They stated this was ‘appalling for a supposedly modern airport.’ The scores for the queuing category saw Manchester T3 come in last place, alongside Luton, Manchester Terminal 2, London Stansted and Birmingham. Manchester T3 scores broken down look like this: • Customer service: 2/5 • Check-in queues: 2/5 • Airport security queues: 2/5 • Passport control queues: 2/5 • Baggage reclaim wait: 2/5 • Seating: 2/5 • Food and drink: 2/5 • Cleanliness: 2/5 Does Manchester Terminal 3 have improvement plans? After publishing the survey, Manchester Airport spoke to Which? about its results. It told the consumer champion that there is a ‘project ongoing to remove and replace the old travelators’ as part of a multi-million-pound refurbishment scheme. Meanwhile, the airport will be using the ‘freed-up space’ from Terminal 1 to grow the entrance, security and departure lounge. The remodel will also reportedly include more shops and restaurants. Manchester Airport also told Which? that, despite the data revealed in the survey, 75% of its passengers waited just five minutes or less to get to security. So, what makes Exeter the best airport? According to the survey, the general consensus is that Exeter is streamlined from arrival to departure. Travellers praised the time it takes from landing to leaving the airport, that the car park is a two-minute walk from the terminal, and that there were ‘no queues anywhere.’ Previous customers also reported that the departure lounge has plenty of comfortable seating. Of course, smaller airports like Exeter and Southampton are able to facilitate smoother and quicker journeys because of their size. So, travellers heading to destinations further afield — and that require the major airports — should take this into account. The top 10 UK airports in 2026 Exeter — 83% customer score Liverpool (John Lennon) — 79% customer score London City — 78% customer score Norwich — 78% customer score Cardiff — 77% customer score Bournemouth — 76% customer score East Midlands — 75% customer score Southampton — 74% customer score Belfast City (George Best) — 73% customer score Newcastle — 73% customer score Our Top Shopping Picks Topman’s new-season collection has arrived and prices start at just £10 An Instagram mattress left me with back pain – this one completely changed my mind Book Val d'Isère, Val Thorens and Tignes for less in Club Med's ski sale Save 25% on red light therapy masks, sauna blankets and sleep gadgets in Bon Charge sale The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 Arrow MORE: Ryanair calls EES rollout a ‘shambles’ amid fresh fears of long queues Arrow MORE: Family missing after plane crash off Bahamas coast Arrow MORE: The ‘beautiful’ UK spa inside a Georgian mansion, with ‘lake-level’ pool and £15 entry fee The Getaway Expert Your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro's resident travel expert, Alice Murphy.