News /Our airport top

MANCHESTER Airport has one of the best value lounges in the world, according to new research.

Website Netflights.com looked at 149 airport lounges to find out what travellers can expect to pay, and what they get in return.

They weighed up the amenities available at each one, compared to the price and applied some data science magic to work out a score showing whether or not the lounges were worth booking.

It comes after they carried out a survey which revealed that 66 per cent of UK travellers find airports stressful. They found that the average person will spend £58.77 in the run up to boarding their flight, mostly on food and drink.

Scoring at the top of the rankings is the Al Ghaza Lounge in Abu Dhabi International Airport, which costs £21.45.

Manchester’s 1903 Lounge Terminal 3, which costs £40, came in fourth place. Despite the airport having other lounges available at almost half the price, the researches deemed 1903 their favourite based on its amenities.

The survey also found that 87 per cent of travellers never book themselves or their families into a lounge as they thought it was too expensive, only for members, or they just didn’t know how to do so.

The top ten are: 1. Al Ghazal Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 2, Abu Dhabi International Airport: £21.45 2. Strata Lounge International Terminal, Auckland Airport: £28.15 3. Lounge @ BTerminal 3, Dubai International Airport: £28.86 4. 1903 Lounge Terminal 3, Manchester Airport: £40 5. Plaza Premium Lounge (Arrivals) Terminal 2, Rio de Janeiro Galeao International Airport: £24.42 6. BGS Premier Lounge Terminal 2, Beijing Capital International Airport: £21.46 7. Loyalty Lounge Terminal 2, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport: £22.20 8. Plaza Premium Lounge (Lounge B) Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport: £19.98 9. Clubrooms North Terminal, London Gatwick Airport: £50 10. SkyTeam Lounge Terminal 4, London Heathrow: £40