Manchester Airport response to Which? magazine survey
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said:
“As in previous years, Which? is letting consumers down with over-simplified judgements based on the outdated and unrepresentative testimony of a narrow group of travellers, as well as publishing misleading statements and factual inaccuracies.
“Manchester Airport is proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world. We know our nearly 30m passengers value the fact we make it possible for them to fly directly to places they otherwise wouldn't be able to, whether that is for business or leisure, to study or visit friends and family.
"We also know they value an experience that caters for all needs, tastes and budgets, and through our £1.3bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme we are creating world-class facilities that give them just that. Due for completion next year, it is already winning awards and receiving high levels of customer satisfaction.
"We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
"That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023. Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.
"Recognising how limited and out of date the Which? survey is, we have engaged with the publication and its writers to provide accurate, up to date performance data and satisfaction scores, as well as showcasing in person how our once-in-a-generation investment is transforming passenger experiences and helping connect them to even more parts of the world.
“That is why it is disappointing to once again see Which? chase cheap headlines with its sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports and the different roles they play. To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality. This is completely unacceptable.”
Our key concerns with Which?'s approach are:
- Which?’s methodology involves surveying a small number of its own readers – a number that represents 0.0026% of our annual passengers. The survey took place in April this year and asked readers to recollect their experiences at the airport in the 12 months to that point, meaning the experiences remembered could be as far back as April 2023. Which?’s readers represent a specific and narrow demographic who value particular things in an airport. To seek to suggest that its survey is representative of the public at large is deeply misleading.
- Comparing large airports with smaller airports is inherently misleading. It is not possible to provide the range of connections an airport like Manchester or any of the large London airports offers in a smaller, less busy setting. Which?’s survey metrics are inherently biased towards smaller airports because they place no value on the key metrics that set large airports apart, like range of destinations offered, value and choice of flights, the number of airlines operating from an airport and more.
- Which? ignores hard data in favour of unreliable recollections. Our own data shows that in the year to date 98.4% of our passengers waited for 15 minutes or less to get to security. 78.7% waited less than five minutes. We provided this data – which is measured using Bluetooth technology – to Which?, who decided to ignore it in favour of relying on its respondents’ memories of how long they thought they queued for up to 12 months ago.
- In August the Civil Aviation Authority rated the service Manchester Airport offers disabled passengers as ‘good’ but more than one of Which?'s top five airports have been rated ‘requires improvement’
Further information:
- An independent survey revealed 86.3% of people using Manchester Airport between January and June rated their experience as good, very good or excellent. The data is based on the results of Airports Council International’s airport service quality survey, which is conducted at 400 participating airports in 109 countries. Almost 2,000 people were surveyed anonymously across all three of Manchester Airport’s terminals and asked to give their feedback on their experience.
- In August Manchester Airport was given a ‘good’ rating by the Civil Aviation Authority for the services it provides to passengers with reduced mobility. This follows significant investment in infrastructure and staff
- Last year Manchester Airport’s brand new Terminal 2 was given the prestigious, UNESCO-backed Prix Versailles for architecture and design
- The terminal has been built as part of Manchester Airport’s transformation programme. The programme will be complete in 2025. It has already seen Terminal 2 double in size with the addition of the brand new extension that won the Prix Versailles. Work is ongoing to bring the older section of the Terminal up to the standard of the new section. When complete, its capacity will double and it will lead to the closure of Terminal 1. From next year over 70% of the airport’s passengers will fly from Terminal 2. Terminal 3 is also being renovated and as part of the project
- In July 97% of Manchester Airport’s passengers queued for less than 15 minutes to get to security. 69% queued for less than five minutes.
- In its printed publication Which? incorrectly claims that Manchester Airport said its passengers wait an average of 15 minutes to get to security