Aberdeen International airport has been rated the worst airport in Scotland for the last four years running, according to the latest Which? Travel airport survey.
Passengers who used the airport panned its lack of seating, limited range of shops and food outlets and the long waits at baggage reclaim – all earning the airport the lowest rating of one star and a paltry overall customer score of 49 per cent.
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One passenger went as far as to say they thought its “international title is a joke” and that the airport has “never kept up with expansion”.
Edinburgh International airport, which handles over 12 million passengers a year, is the largest airport in Scotland and scored a middle of the road 59 per cent.
However, when Which? compared this to other high-capacity airports, Edinburgh was rated the fourth best in the UK after Heathrow T5, Birmingham and Heathrow Terminal 3 in the large airport category.
Passengers praised the lack of queues and the ample seating. They did have gripes about the baggage reclaim and the charges for picking up and dropping off at the airport.
In fact, this was a common complaint at most airports, with passengers describing these extra charges for dropping off or picking up loved ones a “money grabbing exercise” and likening it to “racketeering”.
Inverness earned the highest customer score of the four Scottish airports included in the survey, despite being the smallest, earning a 68 per cent customer score. Those surveyed said it “operated well” and was “pleasant” and “friendly”.
Glasgow International scored a respectable 63 per cent. Serving just under 10 million passengers a year it’s included in the ‘Small airports’ table for the whole of the UK. If it served over 10 million passengers it would be considered one of the best of the ‘large airports’ table. Customers told Which? that their experience had been “seamless” and “quick”.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor said:
“Whether it’s for business or pleasure, for most Scots their trip starts when they get to the airport, but long queues and poor facilities can really put a dampener on your getaway.
“With new routes to and from Scotland launching all the time, passengers have an increasing choice over not just who they fly with but where they fly from. And, it’s clear that some airports will need to improve or risk people taking their business elsewhere.”
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