Consumer survey specialist Which? has released its annual airline survey with Jet2 and Loganair topping the short-haul airline lists where Ryanair was placed last.
British Airways, which used to brand itself as the world’s favourite airline, is at the bottom of the long-haul list with Singapore Airlines and Etihad topping the list.
The survey looked at airlines which are based in the UK and/or fly from the UK and covered areas such as customer service, booking process, boarding, seat comfort, food and drink, cleanliness, cabin environment and value for money.
In the short-haul category, Jet2 and Loganair both ranked high for customer service but Jet2 pipped Loganair to the top spot due to a higher value for money score. The holiday airline was praised by customers for cleanliness, the booking process and food and drink, with an overall satisfaction score of 80%.
Loganair was equally praised for its customer service, booking process and scored higher than Jet2 for boarding. Due to the shorter flight length of most Loganair flights, no food or drink score was available. Overall the Scottish airline scored 72%.
Luke Farajallah, CEO, Loganair said: “Loganair is renowned for its gold standard customer service, so it is very encouraging to be given a five star rating by our customers. We are also very proud of the improved scoring in our operation delivery which our team have had a particular focus on over the last 12 months.
“Our pricing model is based on fairness and simplicity. The price we present is the price customers pay. There are no hidden costs, and we offer up to 21kg of checked luggage and a drink and a snack, as part of our service.
“Being ranked as the second highest performing airline operating in the UK is a credit to our hard-working staff who deliver exceptional service daily.”
At the other end of the scale, Ryanair received the lowest customer satisfaction rating of just 49% with customers down-scoring it for customer service and almost every other category including value for money.
In the long-haul category, top performing Singapore Airlines led the way with an 81% satisfaction rating. Customers praised the comfort and cleanliness of the cabin as well as the service received both before, during and after the flight.
They were closely followed by Abu Dhabi-based Etihad which scored 78%, again thanks to its onboard service, cabin environment and customer service. Both the top airlines also scored high for food and drink.
British Airways scored just 62% with customers unhappy with BA’s customer service, seat comfort, food and drink and overall cabin environment. British Airways also had the highest “last minute cancellation” of all the airlines in the survey.
Speaking about the survey, 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.”
Full survey results
