Cardiff Airport has been named one of the UK's best airports, beating the likes of Bristol, Gatwick and Manchester. According to a survey by consumer body Which?, the Welsh airport was ranked in eighth position with a customer score of 73%, while Newcastle Airport came in seventh place and Inverness Airport in ninth place.
The survey concluded that small airports including Doncaster Sheffield, Exeter and Liverpool John Lennon had beaten their big-name rivals to be crowned best in the UK this year, while many larger hubs were crippled by excessive delays and cancellations over summer.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport topped the consumer champion’s survey for the fourth consecutive time, after almost 7,500 Which? members were asked to rate their experiences at UK airports over the past two years. It is perhaps a bittersweet announcement for the airport as it is set to be shut down soon, with the last flight departing in the next few weeks.
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Manchester T3 scored the lowest out of the responses with a 38% customer score, while London Heathrow T4 was not too far off with 48%. Cardiff's main competitor, Bristol Airport, received a customer score of 56%.
Following the publication of the survey's findings, Guy Hobbs, editor of Which? Travel said: "This year we’ve witnessed unprecedented chaos at many of the UK’s largest airports. Travellers reported extensive queues and unhelpful staff, with resources pushed to breaking point.
"Just a few years ago, travellers may have paid little attention to their choice of airport – but now it may just make or break your trip. Wherever possible, we’d recommend opting for smaller airports, which have generally offered a smoother and less stressful experience for their passengers over the last two years."
This comes after in April of this year, figures showed that Cardiff Airport based in Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, had served just 123,000 passengers last year. When we asked people why they don't use Cardiff Airport, most people mentioned the same thing - Bristol. Sitting some 60 miles away, Bristol Airport had 2.08m passengers in the same period.
The Welsh Government-owned airport also saw smaller passenger numbers than Exeter, Norwich and Bournemouth - and was less than half the size of Southampton, serving served just 0.2% of UK air travellers. The airport has fallen back since it was bought by the Welsh Government in 2013 for £52m. In 2010, Cardiff was the 20th biggest airport in the UK by passenger volume. Ministers bailed it out with £85m in a grant and debt write off during the pandemic in March 2021.
However, things seem to be looking on the up for the airport as it announced additional flights to Belfast following strong demand over the summer and less than four months since the service was relaunched. In September, Ryanair announced an expansion at Cardiff Airport for its coming winter season.
The airline said that following its summer season it will for the winter season – commencing October 30 – maintain its flights to the Portuguese destination of Faro with two weekly services on Wednesdays and Sundays. The airline has also confirmed that its route to Dublin will also continue through the winter with four services weekly.
The airport said it is on track to hit the target of seeing passenger numbers recovered to 50% of pre-Covid levels at the end of its current financial year to the end of March 2023. That would give an annualised passenger number of around 750,000.
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