British Airways and ‘consistently terrible’ Ryanair voted worst airlines in new survey

In news that may surprise no one, British Airways and Ryanair have been named as the worst short-haul airlines in a new Which? survey.

The consumer champion surveyed passengers on their experience with a variety of short-haul airlines, including what they thought of the boarding procedures, cabin cleanliness, customer service and overall value for money.

It also asked people whose flights were disrupted during the pandemic how satisfied they were with the way their airline handled the issue.

Ryanair, which has ranked in the bottom three of the Which? survey for over a decade, was named as the worst short-haul airline with a customer score of just 55%. 

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It also scored an unsavoury 47% in the refund satisfaction category, with one in five respondents saying it took them more than a month to get a refund.

One customer said on their experience: “Ryanair is the most awkward airline to deal with that I have ever come across. It seems to be proud of being difficult.”

Read More: Ryanair flight from Manchester makes emergency landing following reports of ‘fire on board’

Another accused the company of a total ‘lack of transparency about costs’ and ‘treating passengers like cattle to be squeezed for the last penny’. Three-quarters even named Ryanair as the airline they would ‘never fly with’.

British Airways, which once upon a time one of the most favoured airlines, didn’t fare much better in second-worst place with a customer score of 63%. 

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Passengers reported spending hours on hold only to be hung up on or passed between different departments, and slammed their customer service as ‘disappointing’. 

Their food and drink, seat comfort and value for money were only given a two star rating, with one passenger even going to lengths to describe BA as ‘a budget style airline at premium prices’.

However, BA’s cabins ranked as joint cleanest alongside Jet2, which ranked as the number one short-haul airline thanks to its record on delivering refunds; more than eight in ten customers were satisfied with the outcome when their flight was disrupted.

Editor of Which? Travel Rory Boland said: “Ryanair’s consistently terrible customer service has made it a fixture among the worst performers in our surveys for many years – but the airline plumbed new depths with its handling of Covid refunds.”

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He added: “Many passengers will not forget how they were treated by companies during the pandemic. Covid could still cause disruption to international travel, so we would advise travellers to book with operators that have flexible booking policies and a record of treating their customers fairly.

“BA’s reputation also deservedly took a battering when it took a hard line on refunds for passengers who could not travel because they followed government health guidance.”

British Airways has since told The Independent: “We know we can do better and we’re working hard behind the scenes, upgrading our phone systems and recruiting more people to deliver a better and faster customer experience that we know our customers deserve.

“We never take our customers’ loyalty for granted and appreciate their patience as our teams work around the clock to support them.”

Ryanair is yet to comment on the survey.