The beginning of a holiday should set the tone for what's to follow: a glass of champagne in the departure lounge, a leisurely browse of duty free and watching planes jet off into sunny skies before boarding your flight.

But this is often very far from the reality when travelling through UK airports.

Prolonged delays in stuffy, overcrowded halls, limited and overpriced food and drink options as well as disappointing customer service have rapidly become the norm for air travel.

This year's survey by consumer champion Which? has revealed which airports are the worst offenders for holidaymakers in 2026 – with factors such as 'Late cancellations', 'Check-in queues', 'Passport control queues' and 'Food and drink outlets' all taken into account.

This year, Manchester T3 has been declared the nation's worst airport, with a 52 per cent customer score. The aviation hub scored a paltry two stars in all categories surveyed, including 'Cleanliness' and 'Seating'.

One customer declared the airport, which primarily operates Ryanair flights, 'quite appalling for a supposedly modern airport', reporting two-hour check-in queues due to broken machines, 20-minute queues for cafes and toilets, and also complaining that there is 'nowhere to sit'.

Another reflected that the experience at T3 was defined by a 'poor layout' and a 'lack of passenger consideration'.

The airport has been criticised particularly for its 'excessive' walking distances, as security and lounges are currently located in the former Terminal 1 area, which officially closed last November.

In a statement to Which? following the results of the survey, Manchester Airport told the consumer champion there is a 'project ongoing to remove and replace the old travelators' as part of a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme.

Scoring the poorest of any of London's airports, Luton Airport was named the second worst airport in the country, with a customer score of only 57 per cent.

The Bedfordshire spot scored just two stars in most categories reviewed, managing three stars for only 'Baggage reclaim wait' and 'Cleanliness'.

Third from the bottom marked a return up north: Manchester Airport's Terminal 2 received a customer score of 58 per cent and was awarded only two stars in all categories barring 'Cleanliness', for which three stars were achieved.

Similarly poor performers were London Stansted, with 58 per cent, and Edinburgh Airport, with 61 per cent. 

On the other end of the scale, Exeter airport was crowned the very best of Britain's airports, earning an 83 per cent customer score.

The Devon airport scored a full five stars in three categories: 'Check-in queues', 'Airport security queues' and 'Cleanliness'. Its lowest mark was for 'Food and drink outlets', for which only three stars were awarded.

So pleased was one customer with the experience at Exeter airport that they called the hub 'a lovely little place', admitting they enjoyed their pre-departure experience.

Liverpool John Lennon took second place, with a 79 per cent customer score, while London's City Airport was awarded third place with 78 per cent, the highest scoring of all six of the major international hubs in the capital.

Indeed, the top performers demonstrated a trend across the survey, with small-to-medium airports providing a more seamless travel experience than their larger counterparts.

In response to the Which? survey, AirportsUK, the trade body for the UK's airports, asserted that all airports are driven to provide the best possible passenger experience.

A spokesman for the organisation said: 'These results do not align with our airport members’ own data on passenger experience, which shows that most customers are very happy with the service they receive.

'This is seen in comprehensive surveys of thousands of people every single month, while Which? has only asked a tiny and unrepresentative fraction of airport passengers to recall their experiences up to a year previously.'