London airports ranked from best to worst, according to a new Which? survey

In April this year, Which? surveyed almost 5,000 members about their experiences at airports in the previous 12 months. 

Respondents were invited to rate the airports across 11 categories, including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security. 

A customer score was calculated based on a combination of overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend.

London City Airport received a customer score of 80%, and was the best-rated London airport overall. 

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Multiple respondents enthused about the airport’s efficiency and lack of queues, noting the “seamless process from arrival to departure,” achieved without the need for fast track passes. 

It received five stars for queues at bag drop, queues at security, and for its staff, as well as four stars ratings for queues at check-in, queues at passport control, baggage reclaim and airport wi-fi. 

Currently a relatively small airport, City recently saw its proposals for expansion greenlit.

Meanwhile, London Luton was the worst-rated London airport, with a customer score of 47%, closely followed by Stansted on a customer score of 50%.

In 2017, Luton received the lowest score ever received by an airport in a Which? survey - just 29% - and while a £160 million upgrade in the intervening years has seen its score improve, it continues to fall behind its London rivals.

It received just one star for airport wi-fi, and a string of two star scores in the remaining categories, with seating and toilets reportedly continuing to prove a problem. Its highest rating of three stars was for queues at bag drop. 

As one respondent put it, “It's not terrible but it's certainly not great - we would definitely avoid using the airport if we had a choice.” 

A spokesperson for Luton Airport said:  “Last year, 4 out of 5 passengers described their experience at LLA as very good or excellent thanks to the hard work and commitment of our teams. A consistently strong operational performance was also key to this feedback and included an average security wait time of just 8 minutes. The £20m investment in our security hall, including the installation of next-generation scanner technology, will mean even faster processing times for passengers.

“Delivering a consistently strong operational and customer service performance is essential in the hugely competitive market we operate in. Our teams are dedicated to delivering a positive passenger experience and our continued investment in terminal facilities underlines our commitment to providing a comfortable, relaxing and convenient environment for everyone who travels through the airport.

“Whilst all feedback is important, we do not see the analysis provided by Which? as representative of the views of millions of passengers who travel through the airport each year. Our focus is to continue to deliver a simple, friendly and positive experience to everyone who travels through London Luton Airport.”

Across the country Liverpool John Lennon Airport took the top spot while Manchester Airport Terminal 3 finished at the bottom.

See the full list of results here.