Ryanair, Wizz Air and British Airways reply to savage Which? survey which charges them the worst airways

A number of airlines have been left red-faced after a survey ranked them as some of the worst operators – with three major carriers all hitting back at the results

A trio of major airlines are hitting back following a damning report from a consumer survey branding them among the worst in the sky.

Ryanair, Wizz Air and British Airways (BA) have been blasted after landing low scores on Which?’s annual airline satisfaction survey.

After quizzing nearly 8,000 members and collecting intel on 9,325 flights from last year, the consumer magazine dished out its latest league tables, judging airlines on everything from bum-friendly seats, cabin cleanliness to bang for your buck, giving an overall customer score.

Jet2.com soared high in the short-haul game, while budget airline Ryanair came last with a measly 49 per cent approval rating.

Wizz Air came second to last at 51 per cent, while Lufthansa winged in at 55 per cent. BA didn’t fare much better, snagging a mediocre 12th place out of 16 in the short-haul contest with 57 per cent.

Shockingly, BA nosedived in the long-haul category, languishing in last place with just 62 per cent.

In a statement to the Mirror Rory Boland, Editor of Which? 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.”

Which?’s analysis included a case study of Joanne Anderson, a woman from Belfast who said: “They told me in November that my refund would be with me in 7-10 days. I spent so many hours on the phone trying to sort it out – each time I spoke to BA they told me the refund was on its way but nothing happened.

“It feels like they are making a fool of their customers. They want to frustrate them until they just give up and go away. To think British Airways is supposed to be the flag carrier – now they are absolutely dreadful. I will never fly with them again if I can possibly avoid it.”

A spokesperson for BA argued the research from Which? is “entirely at odds” with the comments from “hundreds of thousands” of customers who have informed the airline about their experience, and does not align with the Newsweek study which voted them Most Trusted Airline Brand.

A Ryanair representative stated: “Ryanair this year will carry 200m passengers…Not one of our 200m passengers wish to pay ‘higher prices’ as Which? falsely claim.”

A Wizz Air spokesperson slammed Which? for “misleading the public” by using a “staggeringly small sample size”. They said: “Wizz Air flew over 12 million passengers in the UK over the last year and Which? only surveyed 109 Wizz Air customers – less than 0.001 per cent of our customer base.”

“It is therefore not a fair or accurate representation of Wizz Air’s industry-leading operational performance and significantly improved customer service.”

The airline boasted it was the second most punctual airline in the UK last year, highlighting its commitment to ‘prioritise our customer experience and have invested heavily over the past 12 months to make it easier for customers to access help and support’. “This year, we will be making further improvements to ensure passengers have a smooth and enjoyable travel experience while ensuring we have the best solutions in place in the event of an unexpected disruption,” the spokesperson added.