How do you define what makes an airport the best? Is it wait times? Friendly staff? The variety of shopping and restaurants on offer? Various elements can determine how your overall airport experience will pan out, but luckily for us, there are experts out there who can tell us exactly which terminals are the best, and which may be best avoided.
Airhelp, an online consumer advice service, is dedicated to ensuring you are informed on all things air travel, including the quality of every significant airport in the world. It has created a ranking system that involves rating each terminus out of 10 depending on three criteria: food and drink options, customer opinions, and on-time performance. Out of these three figures, the overall ‘Airhelp score’ is calculated, and the airports are ranked. Think of it as the Rotten Tomatoes of flights.
So what airport came out on top in the UK for 2025? Liverpool John Lennon airport, with an Airhelp score of 7.99 took home the prize for the UK. However, globally, Britain generally did not do very well – in fact Liverpool John Lennon was only 35th overall, and the next British entry wasn’t until London City more than 20 spots down the list at 56th place. Heathrow and Gatwick were both much further down the list, at 178 and 235 respectively. So what is it that Liverpool John Lennon is doing that makes it far better than everyone else?
It’s size: being smaller, it’s more straightforward for JLA to keep to scheduled times, so the airport’s on-time score was a substantial 7.8. Compared to Gatwick, which received 6.3 in the same metric, it becomes clear where the differences lie. Liverpool John Lennon also had an average 8.3/10 for customer ratings, so the staff are clearly providing a pretty enjoyable experience for travellers. Does this mean the ranking system is not entirely fair?
It’s not the first time the little northern powerhouse has been recognised for its high standards either. Last year, Which? named Liverpool John Lennon the best airport in the UK. This was due to its lack of queues, high customer satisfaction, and friendly staff members. London City also did well in the Which? chart.
Perhaps it is worth considering using a smaller airport next time you travel? There might not be as many amenities on offer but at least you are bound to have a stress-free travel experience.