Manchester Airport rated bottom of Which? customer service table

Travellers at Manchester Airport faced long queues in the spring

Manchester Airport has been rated the worst in the UK in a passenger survey by the country's largest consumer body.

The airport's Terminal 3 was bottom in a list of airports, registering only 38% customer satisfaction.

The airport's other two terminals also received low ratings in a year when the airport has been dogged by problems.

An airport spokesman apologised to customers who feel their experience was not the standard "we want to deliver".

Doncaster Sheffield Airport came out on top in the survey carried out by Which Magazine, the official publication of The Consumers Association.

Manchester was beset with long passenger delays causing chaos earlier in the year.

The Which? survey said: "Manchester, scooped the dubious accolade of taking the three lowest spots in the rankings.

"At the very bottom of the charts with a customer satisfaction score of just 38% was Manchester's Terminal 3, which scored a lowly one-star for queues at security, seating, prices in shops and the range of shops on offer.

"Travellers dissatisfied with their experience at the terminal described it as 'chaotic', 'heaving', and 'an end-to-end shambles', with many expressing their disappointment at long queue times, not just through security, but even for refreshments."

The survey said its two other terminals "fared marginally better", with customer satisfaction scores of 41% and 47% respectively.

Passengers also faced long delays waiting for their bags on arrival

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: "The pandemic was the biggest crisis faced by our industry in its history.

"Earlier this year, the whole of the travel industry then faced unprecedented challenges as travel restrictions were removed and demand returned rapidly to the market, and Manchester Airport was no different.

"The hugely competitive employment market and delays in training and vetting meant there were times when we were unable to keep up with passenger demand, which resulted in longer waiting times than we would like."

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But the spokesman also said the airport was "now in a place where we can provide a good standard of service to passengers".

Exeter and Liverpool John Lennon Airports tied in second place in the consumer champion's survey, with a customer score of 83% earning Which? Recommended Provider status for the first time.

Respondents praised Liverpool as "uncrowded" with "minimal queues".