The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Ranked and rated: our best (and worst) airports
With your help, we judged the UK’s 16 busiest airports based on 16 categories – and the results have landed, says Emma Beaumont
It’s fair to say that the airport experi- ence has taken a turn for the worse over the past couple of years. From confusing Covid admin at check-in to nightmarish queues and an upswing in last-minute flight cancellations, it seems there is little glamour in flying these days.
Still, some airports manage to make the experience a bit more bearable, with decent restaurants, free Wi-Fi and water refill points. Of paramount importance to most passengers is whether they will face delays, or – even worse – cancellations.
So which are Britain’s best and worst airports, when all the factors are taken into account?
We selected 16 categories by which to rank the UK’s 16 busiest airports. From quizzing our readers on Twitter to assessing how aesthetically pleasing each terminal is, to gathering data on delays and destinations served, we have drawn up a guide on where it is best to fly from this summer.
THE WINNER London City Airport
Often thought of as the preserve of business travellers, little London City has quietly been building a reputation among frequent flyers as the chicest choice for holiday travel. While it can’t compete with London’s “Big Four” in terms of the number of routes served, its 40 destinations go far beyond the classic financial capitals and include the likes of Florence, the Balearics and various Greek islands.
In our survey it gained points for its proximity to the centre of London (and the cost of the journey to get there) plus perks such as free unlimited Wi-Fi and mobile phone charging points – an impressive 1,771 seats have power outlets. Crucially, 89.1 per cent of its flights arrived on time last year, while the average delay was only five minutes. The airport also likes to boast that arrivals can be on board the Docklands Light Railway in as little as 20 minutes after touchdown – though of course experiences may vary.
RUNNER-UP Gatwick
On a straw poll of the Telegraph Travel desk, London’s second airport divided opinion like no other, having both its committed fans and determined detractors. In the rankings, it scored highly for the number of destinations served (192), the number of four-star hotels within a two-mile distance and a lack of flight cancellations, but was punished for the high price of the Gatwick Express rail service and low number of restaurants per million passengers. However, it should be noted that it has more diverse food outlets than most, offering everything from sushi to Shake Shack and a perfectly serviceable brasserie in addition to the obligatory Wetherspoons.
One factor to remember for those who like to linger in duty free: as Telegraph Travel’s chief consumer and culture editor Nick Trend points out, Gatwick has “some of the longest walks to the departure gate known to man”.
TIED FOR THIRD Heathrow and Newcastle
In joint third place are Europe’s busiest airport and a regional hub that is a fraction of its size.
Heathrow won the aesthetics competition, drawing praise for the superb Richard Rogers extravaganza that is Terminal 5. However, it was almost bottom of the pile for flight delays, with only 80 per cent arriving on time in 2021. Still, with the Heathrow Express delivering passengers to Paddington in as little as 15 minutes, 19,000 parking spaces and a dizzying 223 destinations to choose from, this behemoth remains the top choice for many.
Newcastle, meanwhile, offers the cheapest journey to the city it serves and has a more reasonable “kiss-anddrop” parking charge than most, at £4 for 10 minutes. Other plus points include a good ratio of food outlets to passengers and plenty of power outlets. Still, it is one of the few airports on our list that fails to offer water refill stations.
Bristol and Leeds Bradford
Jointly clutching the wooden spoon in our survey are Bristol and Leeds Bradford airports. The former had few fans on our Twitter poll and levies a hefty terminal drop-off charge of £7 for 10 minutes. Recent reports of queue chaos at check-in and security suggest it might deserve its low ranking – though passengers have two hours of free Wi-Fi with which to entertain themselves.
In Yorkshire, Leeds Bradford airport was branded “a random hotchpotch of ageing buildings” in the visual category and has no four-star hotels within two miles of the terminal. More importantly, it had the worst record for cancellations, with 2.28 per cent of all flights axed last year, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority. However, it did perform fairly well in the delay rankings and has a generous 1,440 seats available in the terminal if you need somewhere to wait it out.