Doncaster Sheffield Airport named best in the UK by Which? for the fourth time in a row

Consumer champion Which? has crowned the soon-to-be closed airport as the best in the UK for the fourth consecutive time, beating similar sized airports Exeter and Liverpool John Lennon. More than 7,500 members of Which? were asked for their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last two years.

DSA got a customer satisfaction score of 85 per cent, with travellers praising the airport’s ‘fantastic, helpful staff’ and ‘faultless service’ and awarding its employees five stars. The airport also scooped five star ratings for queues through security and at baggage reclaim, as well as for seating and toilet facilities, with one respondent saying their experience was ‘how air travel should be’. It was given four stars for queues at check-in and bag drop, three stars for price of goods and two stars for the range of shops.

It comes as owners Peel Group are set to close the airport on October 31, after claiming the site is no longer viable. In recent days, Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones claimed the owners have already begun ‘stripping out’ the airport, while almost 1,000 people attended a protest march to call for the airport to be saved at the weekend.

Airport owners Peel will begin winding down operations at the end of the month – leading to hundreds of job losses among their own staff, airline employees and those working for third-party companies providing aviation services at the site.

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.”

Of the 29 airports rated in the UK, Leeds Bradford Airport ranked 21st, with a 52 per cent satisfaction rate. All three terminals at Manchester Airport were in the bottom three.