Security queues at UK airports caused passengers to miss flights

According to Which? Travel’s annual airport survey of 1,296 UK adults, seven per cent of people who travelled from a UK airport between mid-February and mid-August 2022 said long security queues caused them to miss a flight.

Some respondents waited for over an hour and were forced to sprint to their gate to make their flights in time.

Others reported ‘uncontrolled queues’, with staff calling people to the front to help them avoid missing flights.

Average security waiting time was almost 35 minutes at Leeds Bradford, 30 minutes at Bristol, and 24 minutes at Birmingham and Manchester during those six months.

However, those who travelled at peak times waited much longer. Overall, only five per cent queued for more than an hour at security, but at Birmingham (11 per cent), Manchester (eight per cent) and Leeds Bradford (27 per cent), the numbers were far higher.

London airports had faster average times than these airports too: Heathrow – 20 minutes; Luton – 19 minutes; Stansted – 18 minutes; Gatwick – 16 minutes; and City – 12 minutes.

Travellers want convenience more than anything during their post-pandemic travel, so reducing queue times is essential to keep customers coming back to certain airports.