Loganair ranked second best airline in the UK from ‘Which?’ annual survey

In the result of Which?’s annual airline survey, Loganair was ranked as the second highest airline for short-haul flights in the UK.  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.”

Terminal decline?: British Airways finishes bottom of Which? long-haul flights survey – and rivals Ryanair for poor customer service

British Airways has finished at the bottom of the annual Which? airlines survey – coming joint last for long-haul flights – as research from the consumer champion shows the UK’s flag carrier has also dropped below Ryanair for customer service when travellers need to get in contact.

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.”

For its annual airline satisfaction survey, the consumer champion surveyed travellers’ experiences of flying in the last year, analysing results for over 9,000 flights in total. British Airways (BA) finished joint-bottom out of 19 airlines (with Air Canada) for long haul flights and 12th out of 16 carriers for short-haul travel. Ryanair finished bottom of the short-haul table.

The research shows a gulf in standards between the best and worst performing airlines. Jet2 was the best-performing short-haul airline with an impressive customer score of 80 percent – while the bottom five all scored under 60 per cent. Singapore Airlines was top for long-haul flights (81%) – while BA and Air Canada languished on 62 per cent.

BA and Air Canada scored a measly two stars out of five across several categories including value for money, seat comfort and cabin environment.

BA also has high levels of last-minute cancellations, with around two per cent of flights cancelled within 24 hours of departure, according to CAA data. One Which? survey respondent complained of the airline cancelling their flight by text in the early hours of the morning, leaving them struggling to rearrange their plans.

While BA performed slightly better than Ryanair for overall customer service, which includes experiences in the airport and on-board flights, separate in-depth research from the Which? Consumer Insight team shows the flag carrier has dropped below Ryanair for customer service satisfaction when travellers try to contact the airline.

While Jet2 achieved a net satisfaction score of +87 and the sector average was +52, BA (+40) was behind Ryanair (+42). Both airlines were ahead with Wizz Air, which was bottom with a score of +15.

BA customer Joanne Anderson described BA as “dreadful” over an ongoing battle for a refund, which stretched for more than two months. The 76-year-old said the airline’s customer service team had told her on numerous occasions that she could expect to receive a refund within 7-10 days, but it took nine weeks to arrive.

She told Which?: “It feels like they are making a fool of their customers. They want to frustrate them until they just give up and go away.”

At the top of the long-haul survey, Singapore Airlines scored five out of five stars in most categories including customer service, ease of boarding, cleanliness and cabin environment, while Etihad was second on 78 per cent. Both airlines missed out on Which? Recommended Provider status due to “no-show” clauses, which mean they could cancel a passenger’s return flight if they miss the first leg of their journey.

Third-placed Emirates, which was named a Which? Recommended Provider, scored 77 per cent and got five stars for booking process and cabin environment.

For short haul airlines, Jet2 took first place for the fourth consecutive year and is also marking its 10th year as a Which? Recommended Provider. The airline received high marks for customer service, booking, cleanliness and value for money.

Jet2 also had among the lowest rate of last-minute cancellations of any airline in the survey, with just 0.1 per cent cancelled at short notice, according to CAA data.

Ryanair came bottom of the short haul rankings with a paltry score of 49 per cent. The airline only managed a maximum of two stars in any category, scoring just one star for food and drink, seat comfort and boarding. Which? was told by almost half of Ryanair passengers (47%) that the company did nothing at all during delays, when asked whether airline staff provided explanations, information about their rights or provided food and drink vouchers.

One Ryanair passenger said: “You think you are getting a fairly cheap flight only to find that you have to pay extra for everything. I would rather the price was higher but not have to pay to take on a cabin bag. The plane was not clean and the seats were very uncomfortable.”

Wizz Air was just ahead of Ryanair with a customer score of 51 per cent and a meagre two stars across all categories in Which?’s survey. Almost half (47%) of passengers lamenting the booking process which includes endless choices about which add-ons to pay for.

A Wizz Air passenger complained they felt ‘fleeced’ when they saw how much it cost to actually check in a suitcase. This reflects previous Which? research that found that selecting add-ons with Wizz Air on some routes could increase the initial advertised charge by over four times.