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British Airways rated one of the UK’s worst airlines

Written By:
Guest Author
Posted:
20/12/2019
Updated:
20/12/2019

Guest Author:
Paloma Kubiak

British Airways has fallen from grace after UK passengers rated it as one of the worst airlines according to an annual survey.

Airlines were rated for boarding, seat comfort, food and drink, customer service and value for money by more than 6,000 Which? members.

British Airways has nosedived, sitting among the usual offenders, Ryanair and American Airlines when it comes to both long and short-haul flights. Overall, it managed a 55% customer score.

It came third from the bottom in the short-haul table and second from the bottom for its long-haul offering after previously being awarded best short-haul airline in the Which? travel survey in 2015.

However it seems passengers have been unforgiving when it came to BA’s IT failures, strikes and mass cancellations.

Ryanair was voted the worst short-haul airline for the fourth year in a row, achieving a customer score of 44%. Customers were dismayed by the endless add-ons and luggage requirements.

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Vueling Airlines (54%) and Wizz Air (56%) were also among the worst of the short-haul carriers while American Airways came bottom of the long-haul table, achieving a customer score of 48%.

At the other end of the table, customers rated Jet2 for its budget prices and premium service, giving it a score of 79% and five stars for customer service. EasyJet received a respectable 65% placing it in the middle of the table.

When it came to long-haul flights, Singapore Airlines was rated highly for its in-flight entertainment and customer service, reaching a score of 88%. Virgin Atlantic (72%) is also a consistent high scorer in the long-haul category.

Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor, said: “Year after year the same culprits continue to sink to new lows, yet for many of us, there is a choice. You don’t have to keep booking with an airline that has let you down – or one that you loved for years but has slipped in quality.

“If you get a choice and you are flying short-haul, choose Jet2. It is better quality than BA and often has better fares than Ryanair. If you are heading to the states, Virgin Atlantic beats BA hands-down.”

A British Airways spokesperson, said: “Our own data shows customer satisfaction scores have increased, and continue to increase, as we deliver our £6.5bn investment for customers on new aircraft, new food, new lounges and new technology.

“We offer our customers a choice of cabins on all our flights, lounges for business class customers, free food for all long-haul flights and business class for short-haul, and we are delighted to be able to offer our customers the most extensive network by any UK airline, including newly-added destinations to Pittsburgh, Charleston, Osaka and Antalya.”