Liverpool John Lennon Airport's status as the best in the country has been put to the test.
Last summer, in the annual Which? UK airport survey, 4,000 people were invited to look back on their experiences over the previous 12 months across 11 categories, including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security. The Merseyside Airport came in at the top of the pile, while Manchester Airport – 30 miles down the road – was the worst.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is beloved by many passengers for lots of reasons including short queues, quick security checks and friendly staff. The airport has a slogan which nails its colours to the mast - it claims to be "faster, easier, friendlier".
Ellen Kirwin, a reporter at the Liverpool Echo, recently decided to see whether the travel hub lived up to the hype and booked herself a trip to Krakow, Poland. She was immediately impressed by her experience, from the moment of arrival.
"From where the taxi drops you off, you've just got a teeny walk to departures then you need to take either two flights of stairs or escalators up to the security. I had just hand luggage with me and since I'd checked-in online already, I didn't need to go to the check-in desk," Ellen wrote.
"When we had to scan our boarding passes to get through to security, this took no time at all. My boarding pass scanned right away. An elderly couple next to me had a bit of trouble, but a helpful staff member whisked them away to help them."
So far so good. The good fortune continued at the security desk, where Ellen found a small queues. "I could almost walk straight to the front. There were loads of trays and even a place to get a bag for your liquids if you forgot," she wrote.
"Before you reach security, there's a spot with tables to sort out your liquids if you need to. The security people were nice and it didn't feel rushed like it can do at other airports. My bag needed an extra check, but it was okay because no one else was waiting and the staff quickly checked the scan."
Ellen was taken aback that, in total, she had needed just 10 minutes to get from the taxi to the lounge. She had time to kick back at a drink in a terminal bar and have a look around duty free before she had to hop on her plane.
At the moment easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2.com, Wizz Air, PLAY, Aer Lingus, Loganair and Wideroe all fly from the airport. This year Jet2.com has launched new holidays departing from Liverpool's airport, adding another string to its bow. The first flight is set to take off from the runway at 8am on March 28, 2024, bound for sunny Tenerife. Flights to Alicante, Bodrum, Dalamnan, Kos, Ibiza and Menorca are also planned from April to August.
In the Which? survey Liverpool John Lennon was given a customer score of 82%. It has also earned Which? Recommended Provider status for the second consecutive year. Customers praised their experience at the airport as “first class” and gave it five stars for check-in and security queues, indicating an uncommonly hassle-free experience.
It also scored four stars for staff, with multiple respondents praising them as both “friendly” and “helpful”. It also achieved four stars for baggage reclaim and queues at bag drop and passport control. One traveller said it was a “well run, efficient airport” while another lauded it as their “preferred” airport.
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