How London's airports compare in 2025

A new passenger survey has revealed a huge difference in satisfaction levels across Britain's airports, with London City emerging as the highest-rated airport serving the capital while London Luton finished close to the bottom of the table.

The latest UK airport passenger survey asked almost 6,000 passengers about their experiences at UK airports over the previous 12 months.

Passengers considered everything from security queues and seating to baggage collection, customer service and the price and choice of airport shops and restaurants.

Manchester Airport's Terminal 3 received the lowest customer score in the survey for the fourth consecutive year, achieving just 43%.

But London's airports did not escape criticism.

Luton, Stansted and several terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick all appeared towards the lower end of the results.

One London airport, however, performed exceptionally well.

London City Airport achieved a customer score of 76%, making it the third-highest-rated UK airport in the survey.

Only Exeter Airport, at 80%, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport, at 78%, scored higher.

London City's result is particularly interesting because its passenger experience is quite different from that of the capital's much larger airports.

Located in the Royal Docks, the airport is considerably smaller than Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or Luton.

Its compact terminal and relatively short distances between different parts of the airport can make the passenger journey simpler.

However, comparisons between airports need some context. Smaller airports generally deal with fewer passengers, airlines and flights than major international hubs, potentially making some aspects of the passenger experience easier to manage.

Even so, a 76% customer score places London City comfortably ahead of every other London airport included in the survey.

At the other end of the capital's results was London Luton Airport, which achieved a customer score of 51%.

That placed it 27th among the 29 airport terminals included in the published ranking.

Only Manchester Airport's Terminals 1 and 3 received lower scores.

Passengers surveyed about Luton raised concerns about issues including seating and prices in shops and food outlets.

One respondent also characterised the terminal layout as confusing and disorganised.

London Luton challenged how representative the survey was.

The airport pointed out that the result was based on feedback from 255 respondents, compared with the 16.7 million passengers who travelled through Luton during 2024.

That distinction is important when interpreting the results.

The survey reflects the experiences reported by participating passengers; it does not mean 51% of Luton's total passengers were satisfied or dissatisfied.

London Stansted Airport received a customer score of 53%, placing it just above Manchester Terminal 2 and London Luton in the ranking.

Stansted is one of Britain's largest airports and has become particularly important for low-cost travel between London and Europe.

The Essex airport responded by highlighting its record passenger numbers, noting that around 30 million passengers had travelled through the airport over the preceding year.

It also pointed to its extensive network of more than 200 destinations.

Stansted is currently undergoing substantial investment and expansion, meaning the airport passengers experience in the coming years could look significantly different from today's terminal.

Results at London Gatwick Airport were relatively close between its two terminals.

The North Terminal scored 57%, while the South Terminal received 55%.

That placed both around the middle-to-lower part of the overall table.

Passenger concerns included seating, customer service and the cost of food and shopping.

Gatwick responded to the survey by highlighting improvements in its operational performance during the first half of 2025.

The airport said collaboration with airlines and National Air Traffic Services had contributed to improved punctuality.

As the UK's second-busiest airport, Gatwick operates on a vastly different scale from the smaller regional airports occupying several of the highest positions in the survey.

There was also a noticeable difference between Heathrow's four passenger terminals.

Terminal 5 achieved Heathrow's highest score at 59%, placing it 13th overall.

The remaining Heathrow terminals were lower: Terminal 2 received 57%, Terminal 4 scored 55%, and Terminal 3 received 54%.

Terminal 5 therefore performed considerably better in the ranking than several other major London airport terminals, although its score remained well below those recorded at London City, Liverpool and Exeter.

Heathrow criticised the methodology used in the survey.

The airport argued that the sample sizes were not representative and said the aviation industry already collects extensive passenger and operational data that is independently overseen and published by the Civil Aviation Authority.

One complaint appeared repeatedly across airports rather than being limited to a particular terminal: prices.

More than half of the airports assessed reportedly received only one star out of five for the prices charged by shops and food outlets.

That will probably come as little surprise to regular travellers.

Passengers often spend considerable periods inside terminals where their options for food, drinks and other purchases are limited to businesses operating airside or within the airport complex.

But the survey suggests that passengers are increasingly factoring these costs into their overall opinion of an airport.

Seating was another recurring concern.

As passenger numbers increase, finding somewhere comfortable to wait can become difficult at busy terminals, particularly during peak holiday periods or disruption.

At the top of the survey was Exeter Airport, with a customer score of 80%.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport followed closely with 78%, while London City completed the top three at 76%.

The result provides an interesting contrast with Britain's biggest airports.

Exeter handles roughly half a million passengers annually, compared with tens of millions passing through Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted.

Smaller passenger volumes do not automatically guarantee a better experience, but airport scale is an important consideration when comparing the results.

Liverpool, meanwhile, handles around five million passengers a year and received positive comments for efficient processing and friendly staff.

The lowest result went to Manchester Airport Terminal 3, which received a customer score of 43%.

Passengers participating in the survey were particularly critical of seating, security queues and prices.

Manchester Terminal 1 finished immediately above it with 47%, while Terminal 2 scored 53%.

Manchester Airport strongly disputed the survey's findings.

Managing Director Chris Woodroofe pointed to the airport's £1.3 billion transformation programme and argued that its own much more frequent passenger research presented a different picture.

According to the airport, 91% of 3,045 passengers it surveyed between January and June 2025 rated their experience as good, very good or excellent.

The contrasting results demonstrate how survey methodology, sample size and the questions being asked can significantly affect passenger satisfaction statistics.

Among the London airports and terminals included in the survey, the scores were:

London City – 76%

Heathrow Terminal 5 – 59%

Gatwick North Terminal – 57%

Heathrow Terminal 2 – 57%

Gatwick South Terminal – 55%

Heathrow Terminal 4 – 55%

Heathrow Terminal 3 – 54%

London Stansted – 53%

London Luton – 51%

The difference between London City and Luton was therefore 25 percentage points.

However, passenger numbers, terminal sizes, airline networks and the nature of journeys vary substantially between these airports.

The complete published ranking was:

1. Exeter – 80%

2. Liverpool John Lennon – 78%

3. London City – 76%

4. Bournemouth – 73%

5. Newcastle – 72%

6. Norwich – 72%

7. Inverness – 70%

8. Cardiff – 68%

9. Southampton – 68%

10. Belfast City – 67%

11. East Midlands – 66%

12. Glasgow International – 63%

13. London Heathrow Terminal 5 – 59%

14. Edinburgh – 58%

15. Leeds Bradford – 58%

16. Aberdeen – 57%

17. Birmingham – 57%

18. Bristol – 57%

19. London Gatwick North – 57%

20. London Heathrow Terminal 2 – 57%

21. Belfast International – 55%

22. London Gatwick South – 55%

23. London Heathrow Terminal 4 – 55%

24. London Heathrow Terminal 3 – 54%

25. London Stansted – 53%

26. Manchester Terminal 2 – 53%

27. London Luton – 51%

28. Manchester Terminal 1 – 47%

29. Manchester Terminal 3 – 43%

Airport surveys can provide useful insight, but the results need to be interpreted carefully.

The survey covered almost 6,000 passengers from the wider public, asking about airport experiences during the preceding 12 months.

Respondents assessed airports across 10 areas, including security queues, baggage waiting times, customer service, seating and shopping and dining facilities.

But the number of responses varied substantially between airports.

Exeter's first-place result, for example, was based on feedback from 55 people, while Heathrow Terminal 5 had 773 responses. Manchester Terminal 3's score was based on 191 passengers.

That doesn't make the findings meaningless, but it does mean the percentages should be viewed as survey results from participating passengers rather than definitive measurements of every traveller's experience.

For many passengers, the airport is determined primarily by the destination, airline and ticket price.

But London is unusual because travellers can often choose between several airports serving similar destinations.

A passenger looking for a European flight may potentially find options from Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Heathrow or London City.

That makes the airport itself another factor worth considering.

Flight price remains important, but so do the cost and time required to reach the terminal, security experience, facilities and the journey home after landing.

A cheaper ticket from an airport much farther away may not always result in a cheaper or easier overall journey.

The latest survey results therefore offer one additional piece of information passengers can consider when comparing flights.

And within London, the survey produced a particularly striking result: the capital's smallest major airport received its highest passenger score, while several of its much larger airports were concentrated towards the lower end of the table.

Written by Airports Transfer for passengers travelling to and from London airports.