Survey of thousands of air travellers names Liverpool John Lennon Airport the best airport in the UK for the second year running. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been named as the UK’s best airport

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) has been named the UK’s best airport for the second year running in a survey of thousands of air travellers.

Consumer bible Which? asked 5,000 about their experiences of using airports up and down the country over the past 12 months. It rated them in 11 categories including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security.

And LJLA, which this year is on target to pass the 5m passenger barrier for the first time in several years, came top of the table with an 81% customer score. It beat London City with 80% and Norwich which scored 78%.

In contrast Manchester Airport continues to struggle. Its three terminals were rated separately. Terminal 3 finished bottom of the table with a 37% rating with Terminal 1 second bottom at 40%. Terminal 2 was sixth bottom with a 51% score. Full table is below.

Customers praised their experience at LJLA, rating it five stars for its “friendly”, “good-natured” staff, as well for queues at bag drop and security.

It also received four stars for its toilets, wi-fi, seating, baggage reclaim and queues at the check in desk and at passport control. And LJLA has also secured the Which? Recommended Provider status for the third consecutive year.

LJLA chief executive John Irving said: “To be named as the UK’s number one airport by travellers is a tremendous accolade once again for the airport.

“It is something all who work here are incredibly proud of, with all the hard work put in by our staff, alongside our dedicated third-party operators, paying dividends.

“Everyone who works here understands the importance of our Faster, Easier, Friendlier ethos, focused on giving our passengers a great airport experience.

“To hear such positive feedback from our customers and gain this recognition for the second consecutive year, is testament to the commitment from all our colleagues day in day out at the airport.”

In March this year Jet2 and Jet2 Holidays began flying from Liverpool for the first time. This has boosted passenger numbers along with extra routes announced by easyJet and Ryanair. 

In the first half of 2024 LJLA handled 2.36m passengers, a 22% rise compared to the same period in 2023. In August the airport handled 550,000 passengers, 25% up on a year ago. Top three routes during the month were Dublin, Mallorca and Alicante.

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Mr Irving added: “As ever, we know we can’t rest on our laurels. We are back to pre-pandemic levels of passenger numbers and set to see further increases in passenger numbers next year.

“We will need to continue to improve facilities and maintain the friendly, relaxed experience that this airport is renowned for.”