A survey by consumer group Which? found that British Airways (IAG.L) is the worst UK carrier for long-haul flights, while Ryanair (RYA.IR) and Wizz Air (WIZZ.L) came last for shorter flights.
The annual survey conducted by the consumer body assessed passenger experiences over the past year, gathering feedback from more than 9,000 flights. British Airways finished at the bottom of the long-haul rankings, sharing the position with Air Canada (AC.TO), and placed 12th out of 16 airlines in the short-haul category. In the latter category, Ryanair was rated the lowest.
Jet2 (JET2.L) was the best-performing short-haul airline with a customer score of 80%, while the bottom five airlines in that category each scored below 60%.
In the long-haul segment, Singapore Airlines topped the list with a score of 81%, while BA and Air Canada lagged at 62%.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “British Airways' poor performance in our survey shows how far it has fallen from the days when it was seen as setting the standards others should aspire to.
“There’s a clear disparity between airlines at the top and at the bottom of the rankings. The top performers show it is possible to give passengers good service at a time when delays, cancellations and terrible customer service have become almost the norm.
“Some airlines seem to think they can get away with treating their customers badly, knowing they are unlikely to face consequences in a sector with weak regulations.”
British Airways and Air Canada received a two-star rating across several key areas, including value for money, seat comfort, and cabin environment. BA was voted down due to its high rate of last-minute cancellations, with about 2% of its flights cancelled within 24 hours of departure, according to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
One survey respondent described their frustrating experience with BA, where a last-minute cancellation was communicated via text message in the early hours, leaving them struggling to rearrange their plans.
A spokesperson for British Airways said: “This research from Which? is entirely at odds with comments from the hundreds of thousands of customers who we know do travel with British Airways and then tell us about their experience.”
While BA performed slightly better than Ryanair in overall customer service, a deeper analysis revealed that the UK flag carrier now lags behind Ryanair in terms of customer service satisfaction in the crucial area of passenger communication.
BA now lags behind Ryanair in terms of customer service satisfaction in the crucial area of passenger communication, according to the survey. ·Reuters / Reuters
According to customer satisfaction scores, Ryanair edged ahead of BA with a score of 42 compared to 40. Both airlines vastly outperformed Wizz Air, which scored 15.
BA customer Joanne Anderson described the airline as “dreadful” over an ongoing battle for a refund that lasted more than two months. The 76-year-old said the carrier's customer service team had told her numerous times that she could expect to receive a refund within seven to 10 days, but it took nine weeks to arrive.
She told Which?: “It feels like they are making a fool of their customers. They want to frustrate them until they just give up and go away.”
Singapore Airlines (C6L.SI) emerged as the leader in long-haul satisfaction, earning five-star ratings across multiple categories, such as customer service, cabin environment, and boarding ease. Etihad Airways ranked second with 78%, and Emirates, with a score of 77%, claimed third place.
Jet2 led the rankings for the fourth consecutive year on the short-haul front, earning high marks for customer service, cleanliness, value for money, and booking processes. It also had the lowest rate of last-minute cancellations, with just 0.1% of flights cancelled at short notice.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ryanair scored 49%, with a maximum of only two stars across any category. The airline’s handling of delays drew strong criticism from passengers, with nearly half of its customers (47%) reporting that the airline did nothing to assist them during delays, offering neither explanations nor compensation, such as food and drink vouchers.
One Ryanair passenger said: "You think you are getting a fairly cheap flight only to find that you have to pay extra for everything. I would rather the price was higher but not have to pay to take on a cabin bag. The plane was not clean and the seats were very uncomfortable.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Ryanair this year will carry 200 million passengers … Not one of our 200 million passengers wish to pay 'higher prices' as Which? falsely claim.”
Wizz Air, which ranked just above Ryanair, scored 51%, with two stars in all categories. The airline also faced criticism for its booking process, where passengers felt overwhelmed by numerous add-on choices.
A Wizz Air spokesperson said: “Which? is yet again misleading the public with a survey that has a staggeringly small sample size.
"Wizz Air flew over 12 million passengers in the UK over the last year and Which? only surveyed 109 Wizz Air customers – less than 0.001% of our customer base. It is therefore not a fair or accurate representation of Wizz Air’s industry-leading operational performance and significantly improved customer service."
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