Official Statistics

Air passenger experience of security screening: 2023

Published 23 October 2024

1. About this release

This statistical release summarises results from a set of 4 questions about passengers’ experiences of security screening which were included in the Civil Aviation Authority Departing Passenger Survey in 2023.

Just over 14,000 respondents at 5 airports (Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Stansted) were asked about their experiences of security screening.

These are official statistics. For more information, see the About these statistics section.

Resumption of this statistical release

The ‘Air passenger experience of security screening’ publication was last released in 2020, covering data collected in 2019. The Departing Passenger Survey was suspended from March 2020 to June 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so data is not available for this period. Data collection then resumed, but the security screening questions were not reinstated until January 2023.

2023 was the first full year of information gathered since the ending of COVID-19-related travel restrictions in early 2022. The security screening measures in place were the same as those in 2019. The 2023 period predates the main rollout of the upgrade to security equipment and processes known as the Next Generation Security Checkpoint (NGSC).

This publication will return to an annual frequency from this release onwards.

2. Overall findings for 2023

In 2023, the majority of passengers surveyed (87%) said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of security screening.

The aspects of security screening with which passengers were least satisfied were:

• queuing (cited by 5%)

• general organisation (cited by 3%)

• slow speed of screening process (cited by 3%)

• restriction of liquids (cited by 2%)

• staff attitude and politeness (cited by 2%)

78% of passengers surveyed said that there was no aspect of the security screening process with which they were least satisfied.

Around half (52%) of passengers surveyed reported spending no more than 5 minutes queuing for security screening. Just over a third (37%) of passengers reported queuing for between 6 and 15 minutes. 11% reported spending over 15 minutes queuing.

89% of passengers surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused by the security screening process was acceptable.

3. Comparing findings from 2023 to 2019

Across the 5 airports that were surveyed in both 2019 and 2023, levels of passenger satisfaction remain high (87% in 2023 and 85% in 2019).  

The least satisfactory aspect of security screening remains queuing (cited by 5% of passengers in 2023 and by 6% in 2019).

In both 2019 and 2023, the majority of passengers queued for no more than 5 minutes (52% of passengers in both 2019 and 2023 ).

The majority of passengers surveyed in both years reported that any inconvenience caused by the security screening was acceptable, however the figure was slightly reduced in 2023 (89% in 2023 and 92% in 2019).

4. Satisfaction with experience of security screening (AVI0502)

Question asked: How satisfied are you with your experience of the security screening used at the airport today?

The majority (87%) of respondents in 2023 said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of security screening, with almost half (48%) saying they were very satisfied.

As shown in Chart 1, passengers at Heathrow had the highest levels of satisfaction, with 89% satisfied or very satisfied with their security screening experience. Passengers at Stansted had the lowest levels (82% satisfied or very satisfied). The highest proportion of dissatisfied or very dissatisfied passengers was reported at Manchester (5%), in particular amongst those travelling from Terminal 3 (7% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied).

Chart 1: Levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with security screening at UK airports, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	Very satisfied	Satisfied	OK	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Total
Gatwick	47%	41%	10%	2%	0%	100%
Heathrow	50%	39%	9%	2%	1%	100%
Luton	57%	30%	10%	2%	1%	100%
Manchester	48%	36%	12%	3%	1%	100%
Stansted	39%	43%	15%	2%	1%	100%

There was little difference in passenger satisfaction between those travelling for leisure and business, or between male and female passengers. However, UK residents were slightly more likely to be satisfied or very satisfied with their experience (88%) than foreign residents (84%).

5. Least satisfactory aspects of security screening (AVI0503)

Question asked: What aspect of the security screening were you least satisfied with?

Technical note: Passengers were presented with a list of 22 potential response options, and asked to select one aspect. Respondents were able to select ‘None’ if there was no aspect of the security screening process with which they were least satisfied, or ‘Other’ if the least satisfactory aspect was not listed.

Most (78%) of the passengers surveyed did not report a least satisfactory aspect of security screening.

Of the least satisfactory aspects reported, queuing was the most common (reported by 5% of passengers). General organisation (3%)  and the slow speed of the screening process (3%) were second and third.

The highest proportion of passengers who reported queuing as the least satisfactory aspect of security screening was at Stansted (11% of passengers).

The lowest proportions of passengers reporting no aspect with which they were least satisfied were at Manchester (72%) and Stansted (70%).

6. Queuing times (AVI0504)

Question asked: For how long, in minutes, did you queue when waiting to be security screened?

Technical note: Figures represent passengers’ perceptions of their time spent queuing. Passengers can overestimate their queuing time, so these figures may be higher than the actual times at these airports. However, they give some indication of relative queuing times between airports.

Around half of passengers surveyed (52%) reported that they queued for no more than 5 minutes, 13% reported queuing for 6 to 9 minutes, and 36% reported that they queued for at least 10 minutes.

As shown in Chart 2, however, there were noticeable differences in queuing times between airports. The highest proportion of passengers who reported queuing times of no more than 5 minutes was at Gatwick (63%), and the lowest at Manchester (30%). At Manchester, 17% of passengers reported queuing for at least 20 minutes, compared to just 1% at Gatwick. Queuing times were substantially longer at Manchester than at any of the other airports surveyed.

Chart 2: Reported queuing times at security screening at UK airports, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	1 to 5 minutes	6 to 9 minutes	10 to 15 minutes	16 to 20 minutes	Over 20 minutes	Total
Gatwick	63%	17%	17%	2%	1%	100%
Heathrow	59%	10%	24%	4%	3%	100%
Luton	57%	11%	21%	7%	5%	100%
Manchester	30%	7%	36%	10%	17%	100%
Stansted	41%	19%	27%	7%	7%	100%

7. Acceptance of any inconvenience caused by security screening (AVI0505)

Question asked: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Any inconvenience caused by the security screening was acceptable?”

The majority (89%) of passengers agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused by security screening was acceptable, with only 4% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.

Agreement that any inconvenience was acceptable was highest at Luton (93% agreed or strongly agreed), followed by Heathrow (91%). Overall agreement was lowest at Manchester (87%), though the proportion of passengers strongly agreeing with the statement at Manchester (43%) was higher than at Heathrow (33%) or Stansted (26%).

92% of passengers flying to long haul destinations agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused was acceptable, compared to 89% of passengers flying to short haul destinations, and 88% of passengers flying domestically.

Passengers travelling for leisure were slightly more likely to find that any inconvenience caused by security was acceptable (90%) than business passengers (87%).

8. Airport summaries

8.1. Gatwick

At Gatwick, 88% of passengers surveyed reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of security screening (Chart 3).

Chart 3: Levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with security screening at Gatwick, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	Very satisfied	Satisfied	OK	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Total
Gatwick	47%	41%	10%	2%	0%	100%

The aspects that passengers were least satisfied with at Gatwick were general organisation (3% of passengers) and the restriction of liquids (3%). The equivalent aspects in 2019 were queuing (2%) and staff attitude or politeness (2%).

The majority of passengers at Gatwick (80%) reported queuing for less than 10 minutes at security screening, with 63% reporting queuing times of no more than 5 minutes (Chart 4). In 2019, 72% of passengers surveyed reported queuing for no more than 5 minutes.

Chart 4: Reported queuing times at security screening at Gatwick, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	1 to 5 minutes	6 to 9 minutes	10 to 15 minutes	16 to 20 minutes	Over 20 minutes	Total
Gatwick	63%	17%	17%	2%	1%	100%

Most passengers (88%) at Gatwick agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused by security screening was acceptable. This proportion is lower than in 2019, when the equivalent was 95%.

8.2. Heathrow

At Heathrow, 89% of passengers surveyed reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of security screening (Chart 5). This is the same proportion as in 2019.

Chart 5: Levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with security screening at Heathrow, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	Very satisfied	Satisfied	OK	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Total
Heathrow	50%	39%	9%	2%	1%	100%

The aspects that passengers were least satisfied with at Heathrow were general organisation (4% of passengers) and queuing (3%). The equivalent aspects in 2019 were queuing (5%) and the slow speed of the screening process (3%).

Most passengers (69%) at Heathrow reported queuing for less than 10 minutes at security screening, with 59% reporting queuing times of no more than 5 minutes (Chart 6). Only 3% of passengers surveyed reported queuing for more than 20 minutes. In 2019, 54% of passengers surveyed reported queuing for no more than 5 minutes.

Chart 6: Reported queuing times at security screening at Heathrow, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	1 to 5 minutes	6 to 9 minutes	10 to 15 minutes	16 to 20 minutes	Over 20 minutes	Total
Heathrow	59%	10%	24%	4%	3%	100%

Most passengers (91%) at Heathrow agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused by security screening was acceptable. That is slightly lower than 2019, when the equivalent proportion was 93%.

8.3. Luton

At Luton, 87% of passengers surveyed reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of security screening (Chart 7). This is higher than 2019, when the equivalent proportion was 80%.

Chart 7: Levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with security screening at Luton, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	Very satisfied	Satisfied	OK	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Total
Luton	57%	30%	10%	2%	1%	100%

The aspects that passengers were least satisfied with were the slow speed of the screening process (6% of passengers) and queuing (4%). The slow speed of the screening process was also the most commonly reported least satisfactory aspect in 2019 (4%), with the removal of shoes the second most common (4%).

Most passengers (68%) at Luton reported queuing for less than 10 minutes at security screening, with 57% reporting queuing times of no more than 5 minutes (Chart 8). Only 5% of passengers reported queuing for more than 20 minutes. In 2019, 53% of passengers surveyed reported queuing for no more than 5 minutes.

Chart 8: Reported queuing times at security screening at Luton, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	1 to 5 minutes	6 to 9 minutes	10 to 15 minutes	16 to 20 minutes	Over 20 minutes	Total
Luton	57%	11%	21%	7%	5%	100%

Most passengers (93%) at Luton agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused by security screening was acceptable. That is slightly higher than 2019, when the equivalent proportion was 90%.

8.4. Manchester

At Manchester, 83% of passengers surveyed reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of security screening (Chart 9). This is higher than 2019, when the equivalent proportion was 74%. 5% of passengers at Manchester reported being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied in 2023. This was the highest proportion of all airports surveyed, but lower than in previous years.

Chart 9: Levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with security screening at Manchester, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	Very satisfied	Satisfied	OK	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Total
Manchester	48%	36%	12%	3%	1%	100%

The aspects that passengers were least satisfied with were queuing (7% of passengers) and the slow speed of the screening process (6%). These were also the most common aspects reported in 2019.

The proportion of passengers at Manchester who reported queuing for less than 10 minutes at security screening (37%) was much lower than at the other airports surveyed. 17% of passengers surveyed reported queuing for more than 20 minutes (Chart 10). This is more than double the proportion at any other airport.

Chart 10: Reported queuing times at security screening at Manchester, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	1 to 5 minutes	6 to 9 minutes	10 to 15 minutes	16 to 20 minutes	Over 20 minutes	Total
Manchester	30%	7%	36%	10%	17%	100%

Despite longer queuing times, the majority of passengers (87%) surveyed at Manchester still agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused by security screening was acceptable. This is slightly higher than in 2019, when the equivalent proportion was 84%. Levels of agreement varied by terminal, with 90% of passengers at Terminal 2 agreeing or strongly agreeing that any inconvenience was acceptable, but only 83% of passengers at Terminal 3.

8.5. Stansted

At Stansted, 82% of passengers surveyed reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of security screening (Chart 11). This is the same proportion of passengers as in 2019.

Chart 11: Levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with security screening at Stansted, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	Very satisfied	Satisfied	OK	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Total
Stansted	39%	43%	15%	2%	1%	100%

The aspects that passengers were least satisfied with were queuing (11%) and the restriction of liquids (4%). The proportion of passengers that were least satisfied with queuing at Stansted was higher than at any other airport, despite noticeably longer queuing times at Manchester. Queuing was also the most commonly reported aspect at Stansted in 2019 (10%).

Most passengers (59%) at Stansted reported queuing for less than 10 minutes at security screening, with 41% reporting queuing times of no more than 5 minutes (Chart 12). 7% of passengers surveyed reported queuing for more than 20 minutes. In 2019, 34% of passengers surveyed reported queuing for no more than 5 minutes.

Chart 12: Reported queuing times at security screening at Stansted, 2023 ^{[footnote 1]}

Airport	1 to 5 minutes	6 to 9 minutes	10 to 15 minutes	16 to 20 minutes	Over 20 minutes	Total
Stansted	41%	19%	27%	7%	7%	100%

Most passengers (88%) at Stansted agreed or strongly agreed that any inconvenience caused by security screening was acceptable. That is slightly lower than in 2019, when the equivalent proportion was 91%.

9. About these statistics

These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. More information about these statistics can be found in the Aviation statistics: notes and definitions.

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1. Figures in this chart are rounded, so may not add up to 100%. Totals quoted in the commentary have been calculated using unrounded figures, so there may sometimes appear to be a discrepancy between the sum of the constituent parts and the totals shown. Unrounded figures are available in the data tables accompanying this release. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²