Birmingham Airport has topped a poll by holidaymakers rating their travel experiences in the UK.

Almost 2,500 travellers were asked to score all aspects of airport services, from customer service to check-in waiting times at ten of the country’s airports.

The city’s airport received top marks for staff friendliness, check-in efficiency and shopping experience in the survey by airporttransfers.co.uk and received a grand total of 54 out of a possible 60 marks.

Bottom of the league was Luton Airport with just 16 points, with staff there scoring just 1 out of 10 for friendliness. None of the London-based airports made it into the top five, with Heathrow only managing sixth place with a score of 30 out of 60.

Almost half of those questioned, 48 per cent, said they were prepared to travel more than 100 miles if it meant the airport they were flying from was “decent”, and 26 per cent felt that having a bad experience at the airport could ruin a holiday.

A Birmingham Airport spokesman said: “It’s always pleasing to be recognised for all the hard work put in by the whole airport team and it’s all the more satisfying when the feedback is from passengers.

“We are delighted to have been rated as the number one UK airport and the results of this survey support our aim of being viewed as an alternative to airports in the over-heated south east.

“We have said for some time that rather than looking to expand elsewhere, Birmingham has the potential and spare capacity to cater for the increasing demand for air travel.

“With many of the respondents indicating they would travel further afield to reach their preferred airport, we are keen to encourage passengers who may not have used Birmingham before to see just how good we are.”

Chris Brown, co-founder of airporttransfers.co.uk, added: “For some people, the airport experience can be a stressful one, especially when faced with delays, queues and unfriendly staff. I was really surprised to see London’s four main airports voted in the top five worst, but I think many people are put off by larger, busier airports.”