Yahoo Finance UK's best and worst airports revealed
Small airports in the UK have beaten their big-name rivals to be crowned best in the country this year as many larger hubs were crippled by excessive delays and cancellations.
Doncaster Sheffield airport took the top spot for the fourth consecutive month in the consumer champion's survey. The airport is however due to shut down imminently, with the last flight departing in the next few weeks.
The airport, which received a customer score of 85%, was praised for the "fantastic, helpful staff" and "faultless service", awarding the airport's employees a full five stars.
It also scooped five stars for queues through security and at baggage reclaim, as well as for seating and toilet facilities. But it dropped to 4 stars for queues at check-in and bag drop, while it received its lowest ratings for the shopping experience offered – rating three stars for the price of goods, and just two stars for the range of shops.
Exeter and Liverpool John Lennon Airports tied in second place in the consumer champion’s survey, with a customer score of 83%. Both airports earned Which? Recommended Provider status for the first time.
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Among London airports, City came out on top, at joint third place with Southampton airport in the tables overall. It was also the only London airport to make it into the national top five.
City airport achieved five stars across all queue types, from check-in, bag-drop, security, passport control and baggage reclaim. It also rated four stars for quality of seating available and helpfulness of staff.
Survey respondents who rated the airport highly praised their experience as "slick", "pleasant" and "painless", and also commented on the convenience of its location.
At Britain's busiest airport, Heathrow, it was the "spacious" and "modern" Terminal 5 that performed best, achieving four stars across all types of queues, and an overall customer satisfaction score of 60%.
However, terminals 2, 3 and 4 languished in the bottom half of the table, with Terminal 4 achieving a customer satisfaction score of 48%.
Terminal 4 also rated only one star for the variety of shops and two stars across all types of queues, as well as for the overall experience delivered by staff.
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Which? asked around 7,500 members to rate their experiences at UK airports over the past two years.
Guy Hobbs, editor of Which? Travel said: "This year we’ve witnessed unprecedented chaos at many of the UK's largest airports. Travellers reported extensive queues and unhelpful staff, with resources pushed to breaking point.
"Just a few years ago, travellers may have paid little attention to their choice of airport – but now it may just make or break your trip.
"Wherever possible, we’d recommend opting for smaller airports, which have generally offered a smoother and less stressful experience for their passengers over the last two years."
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