It has been a trying 12 months for airline passengers but some airlines have been more helpful through the chaos than others.
Consumer body Which? asked 8,000 UK travellers to rate airlines based on a number of criteria like value for money, customer service and boarding experience. They used these experiences to predict what will be the best and worst carriers for 2023.
After a year filled with travel chaos, the results of the survey focused on the airlines that looked after passengers when things went wrong. Almost one in three people said they had a problem with a flight in 2022 – but how each carrier dealt with that problem was what made the difference.
“Travellers have had a torrid time in recent years, with last-minute delays and cancellations an unacceptably common occurrence,” says Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel.
He adds that some airlines, however, have distinguished themselves by offering flyers excellent customer care and reliable service.
What is the worst airline for 2023?
The worst airline in the survey was Wizz Air coming out with a “dire” customer service score of 48 per cent.
“If alternative carriers are available for your route, avoid Wizz Air, as its poor record on customer care means you’re likely to be left high and dry in the event your flight is delayed or cancelled,” says Boland.
It operated just 56 per cent of its flights on time and nearly 2 per cent were cancelled within 24 hours of departure.
Almost half of the respondents reported that when things went wrong there were no staff available during delays. Passengers also said they had a bad experience once they had finally boarded.
Which? says at current levels of service and comfort, its new long-haul flights to the Middle East and Asia are frankly unthinkable.
“At Wizz Air, we do everything possible to ensure that passengers reach their destination on time and with minimal delay. We invest heavily into time performance, which is key to our ultra-efficient business model,” a spokesperson for Wizz Air said.
“A number of issues affecting the global aviation industry contributed to a worse time performance in 2022. These issues resulted from a widespread shortage in staff, in particular within air traffic control, ground operations and baggage handling, security and across airports. We are committed to constantly reviewing processes to mitigate these issues and are seeing an overall improvement in the on-time performance of our routes.”
They added that Wizz Air welcomes all customer feedback so the airline can refine its processes to further enhance customer experience.
Ryanair ranks low on the Which? list
Coming in after Wizz Air at the bottom for short-haul economy airlines was Ryanair. Which? says it regularly ranks low in the table on these lists.
Though it had three stars for customer service – notably better than Wizz Air – and was more reliable than average, less than half of passengers said they could find a member of Ryanair staff when they faced delays. There were also complaints about the boarding experience, seat comfort and cabin environment.
Ryanair says: “This is just more fake news from yet another fake survey by Which?, who repeatedly make false claims about Ryanair – the UK’s most reliable and low fare airline.”