Ryanair Voted The Worst For Customer Satisfaction

Europe’s biggest airline, Ryanair, has been voted the lowest for customer satisfaction in Europe according to a new survey by consumer group Which? Even though the airline carries more passengers than any other airline and continues to have the best record for safety, it’s been ranked as the worst out of 20 companies by customers.  

The survey included “member experiences” of 11,625 customers, and also looked at other aspects of service including food and drink, comfort and value for money. It’s thought that problems earlier in the year, like flight cancellations at short notice and cuts to baggage allowances, have contributed to the low ranking. 

Just over a thousand of the airlines customers were surveyed and asked about their overall satisfaction while using the airline. Ryanair claims the report is “unrepresentative and worthless”, and marketing director Kenny Jabobs said “This Which? Survey doesn’t reflect real passenger choices. Real customers cannot get enough of Ryanair’s low fares.”

 Jet2 and Norwegian Airlines both received the best feedback, and Veuling was ranked second from last among the short haul airlines. US airlines American and United were both bottom of the table for worldwide airlines. British Airways was ranked third-last for both Europe and worldwide flights.

Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor, said: “BA’s poor customer satisfaction shows it clearly needs to step up its game in a year that has been beset with problems. From the food and drink on offer, to the poor value for money of the journey itself, the airline has a lot of work to do to improve the experience.”

A spokesperson for BA said ”British Airways is a premium airline committed to customer choice. We offer customers the biggest network from London’s most central airports, a loyalty programme with huge benefits and the best punctuality record of the three big short-haul operators from the capital.”

“We also give our growing numbers of customers a wide choice of fares and services. The quality and choice of food and drink are proving popular and sales have greatly exceeded our initial expectations.”

US airline, United, was ranked as the worst airline for long haul flights among customers, and was the only company to score a maximum of two stars in every category. It’s thought the poor results could be down to the forcible removal of a passenger in Chicago airport earlier in the year, for which the airline received strong criticism.

The result for United was based on the experiences of 38 passengers. A spokesperson for the airline said: “We are committed to making sure that United is a warm, welcoming and friendly experience for all our customers.”

“Every year we connect nearly 143 million customers to communities around the world. We have made important progress to move United decisively forward by investing in our products and people to ensure our customers are at the centre of everything we do.”