East Midlands Airport ranked first among a group of 8 airports assessed on passenger satisfaction levels.

East Midlands Airport scored 9.20 out of 10, first among the eight airports which were used in the survey. Meanwhile, Birmingham trailed behind its neighbour, scoring 8.50 out of 10, above the average of 8.39 of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA’s) survey, placing it in fourth place. The survey measured the likelihood of passengers recommending the airport to a friend or colleague.

A survey of 175,000 passengers

The survey was published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with 175,000 passengers across the eight airports. The survey revealed that even with passenger levels rising, passenger satisfaction is also increasing. Of the 8 airports involved, London Luton Airport ranked the lowest, with a satisfaction rating of 7.77.

Which were the eight participating airports?

The eight airports who participated in the survey were Birmingham, East Midlands, Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester and Stansted – covering England’s busiest airports, not just the Midlands.

The Midlands

Both East Midlands Airport and Birmingham Airport primarily serve the midlands region. Each year, over 17 million passengers pass through both airports combined, 13.2 million at Birmingham and 3.8 million at East Midlands. 

Travel to the airport

The way that passengers travel to the airport seems to be changing too. Across the eight airports in the survey, public transport use was up by 1 point to 38%, whilst the use of private cars and taxis is down to 62%. However, airports in the Midlands are trailing behind compared to their counterparts across the country. Whilst 66% of passengers travelling to London City Airport use public transport, only 19% of passengers travelling to Birmingham Airport use public transport and at East Midlands Airport, that number drops even further, at only 10%. 

What about those heading on a business trip?

Passengers on business trips were found to be more likely to fly from Birmingham Airport, likely due to the Airport’s broader choices of destination. 11% of passengers going through Birmingham Airport did so for business purposes, compared to only 1.8% at East Midlands Airport. 

Tim Johnson, Director of Consumers, Markets and Communications at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “As the aviation industry continues to grow, it is encouraging to see that the level of passenger satisfaction with airports remains high.”

For the full set of data from the survey, you can find the survey dashboard here.