Ryanair and British Airways amongst UK's worst short-haul airlines
Friday, December 27, 2019
The consumer site Which? conducted research in which all UK short-haul airlines were assessed and graded. The consumer choice organisation conducted research in which it collected the opinions of 6500 British holidaymakers. Participants were asked to rate their onboard experiences with different airlines across the time of the last 12 months. Factors that were rated by passengers were boarding experiences, customer service and on-board environment and experience.
The outcome was not surprising.
Who is the best short-haul airline?
The best short-haul airline was awarded to Aurigny Air Services. The smaller airline typically operates flights that connect the channel island Guernsey with Jersey, London, Manchester and other destinations across the UK. Passengers were generally happy with the service, the flight schedules and the onboard experience.
In September 2019, Aurigny Air Services achieved an on-time performance of 70%. Considering the small size of the airline, only few flights were cancelled.
Jet2 followed on 2nd, SAS Scandinavian Airlines on 3rd and Aer Lingus in 4th rank. SWISS secured the 5th rank amongst the best short-haul airlines.
Who is the worst short-haul airline?
The worst short-haul airline of the year may not come as a surprise to anyone. Ryanair is the worst short-haul airline of 2019. The Irish air carrier only managed to score a satisfaction rate of 44% which is significantly low.
What might have helped Ryanair to the lowest place on the ranking is the extras which the airline charges for when it comes to baggage and luggage. Customers voiced their opinions and complained that sometimes they felt they were treated like “cash cows”.
The dissatisfaction was also evident amongst the star rating in which all passengers gave Ryanair as little as 1 star for each category. This included categories such as boarding experience and customer service.
The second worst short-haul airline is Vueling, scoring a low 54%. The score mostly consisted of 2-star ratings for categories such as value for money and seating.
How did other UK airlines perform?
What surprised most was British Airways who scored 3rd lowest rank, making it the 3rd worst short-haul airline in the UK. The flag carrier that was once branded best short-haul airline in 2015 but with recent strikes and IT system failure the airline has decreased in customer satisfaction. Many passengers were so unhappy with the airline that they claimed that “BA is, without doubt, the worst airline we’ve ever used”.
Following on 4th lowest place is the Hungarian air carrier Wizz Air, who reached 56% in the scoring. TUI Airways followed close behind on the 5th lowest rank.
The low-cost carrier easyJet ranked mid-field with a score of 65%.
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