Three popular airlines have slammed consumer brand Which? after being berated in a new satisfaction survey that ranked them the worst short-haul and long-haul operators
A trio of major airlines have hit back after being branded as some of the worst operators in a survey. Ryanair and Wizz Air – along with premium rival British Airways (BA) were berated following Which?’s annual airline satisfaction survey.
The consumer brand has released its league tables after surveying almost 8,000 Which? members and other travellers about 9,325 flights taken last year. It ranked airlines on a slew of categories, including seat comfortability, cleanliness, value for money, and number of last-minute calculations – creating an overall customer score out of 100 per cent.
Jet2.com topped the tables in the short-haul category, while budget competitor Ryanair came in last – with an overall score of just 49 per cent. This was followed by Wizz Air (51 per cent), then Lufthansa (55 per cent). British Airways came 12th out of 16th in the short-haul category (57 per cent) but came joint last in the long-haul section – scoring a low 62 per cent along with Air Canada.
In a statement sent to the Mirror, Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, savagely hit out at the low-ranking airlines. “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,” he said. “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.”
Which?’s analysis included a case study of Joanne Anderson, a woman from Belfast who stated she struggled to claim a refund from BA for more than two months. “They told me in November that my refund would be with me in 7-10 days. I spent so many hours on the phone trying to sort it out – each time I spoke to BA they told me the refund was on its way but nothing happened,” she told the brand.
“It feels like they are making a fool of their customers. They want to frustrate them until they just give up and go away. To think British Airways is supposed to be the flag carrier – now they are absolutely dreadful. I will never fly with them again if I can possibly avoid it.”
Similarly, a customer who flew with Ryanair moaned: “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,” while a Wizz Air passenger said they felt ‘fleeced’ when they realised how much it cost to check in a suitcase. Now, all three airlines have responded to the backlash.
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British Airways (long-haul)
- Flights on time: 65%
- Last-minute cancellations: 2.2%
- Seat pitch (inches): 31
- Customer service: 3/5
- Booking process: 4/5
- Boarding: 3/5
- Seat comfort: 2/5
- Food and drink: 2/5
- Cleanliness: 3/5
- Cabin environment: 2/5
- Value for money: 2/5
- Customer score: 62%
A spokesperson for British Airways argued the research from Which? is ‘entirely at odds’ with the comments from ‘hundreds of thousands’ of customers who have informed the airline about their experience. “Their feedback tells us customers are seeing the benefit of our £7 billion investment programme, with operational performance improving by 18 per cent over the last 12 months, partnered with the introduction of new aircraft, the unveiling of our new First seat, free Wi-Fi messaging on flights and upgrades to nine of our lounges,” they added.
“This is also reflected in a recent independent study from Newsweek, which surveyed 17,000 people who voted us their Most Trusted Airline Brand. There is always room for improvement and we know we don’t always get things right, but we’re proud of the progress we’re making and will continue to focus on delivering the best possible service for our customers.”
Ryanair (short-haul)
- Flights on time: 65%
- Last-minute cancellations: 0.2%
- Seat pitch (inches): 28-30
- Customer service: 2/5
- Booking process: 2/5
- Boarding: 1/5
- Seat comfort: 1/5
- Food and drink: 1/5
- Cleanliness: 2/5
- Cabin environment: 2/5
- Value for money: 2/5
- Customer score: 49%
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Ryanair this year will carry 200m passengers…Not one of our 200m passengers wish to pay ‘higher prices’ as Which? falsely claim.”
Wizz Air (short-haul)
A Wizz Air spokesperson accused Which? of ‘miseleading the public’ due to using 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 per cent of our customer base,” they added. “It is therefore not a fair or accurate representation of Wizz Air’s industry-leading operational performance and significantly improved customer service.”
The airline stated it was the second most punctual airline in the UK last year, and that it continues to ‘prioritise our customer experience and have invested heavily over the past 12 months to make it easier for customers to access help and support’. “This year, we will be making further improvements to ensure passengers have a smooth and enjoyable travel experience while ensuring we have the best solutions in place in the event of an unexpected disruption,” the spokesperson said.
*Which? surveyed 109 Wizz Air passengers and 1,027 Ryanair passengers. For BA, 944 passengers were surveyed as part of the short-haul category, while 253 were surveyed for the long-haul category. Airline delay and cancellation data is taken from Civil Aviation Authority data (October 2023 to September 2024).
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