If you're hungry, head for Heathrow

The Holiday Which? report said that holidaymakers should head for smaller UK airports to get the best comfort.

Research also found that Liverpool, John Lennon Airport had "sleek modern terminals and a slick operation to go with it."

Bigger airports tended to have cramped check-in halls and a lack of natural light, the report found.

But smaller airports fell down on the quality of their facilities, such as shops and food outlets.

The best of the rest Newcastle Airport serves up the best breakfast Heathrow Terminal 3 has the best food choices Stansted boasts the best check-in hall

Although airport shops may be more convenient, they were not necessarily any cheaper than the high street.

The magazine found Stansted Airport to have the best check-in area, the worst being at Heathrow's Terminal 1 and 2 where checking-in was described as a "particularly depressing experience".

The Which? Holiday report said although no-frills carriers offered excellent low-cost fares, few did "anything more than deliver passengers to their destination".

The report referred to the "ongoing problem of misrepresentation by holiday providers when it comes to the location of airports and hotels".

Magazine editor Patricia Yates criticised what she called "hyphenated hateful hybrids" - airports using the name of a major city when in fact they are some miles away, such as Barcelona-Gerona or Bologna-Forti.