Worst airline in UK for customer service revealed

Wizz Air (WIZZ.L) has been named the worst airline in the UK for customer service, ranking below Ryanair (RYA.IR), a survey by consumer group Which? found.

Which? surveyed over 4,000 people in May to assess customer service standards across various industries, with airlines scoring poorly overall.

Wizz Air emerged as the worst performer with a net satisfaction score of +13, far below the industry average of +52. Ryanair and British Airways also fared poorly, with scores of +28 and +46, respectively.

In the latest findings, 57% of Wizz Air passengers reported encountering problems with customer service, compared to an industry average of 41%. Of those who reported an issue in their customer service dealings with Wizz Air, around four in 10 (44%) reported long delays in receiving a response to their email, and the same number (44%) also reported speaking to unhelpful or dismissive advisors.

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A third (31%) of those who had problems said they waited a long time on the phone before speaking to an advisor, and a significant number did not manage to get through at all. A fifth (21%) said they could not reach customer services despite continuous attempts and the same number (21%) never received a response to their email. Around one in 10 (13%) had their call disconnected after spending a long time in the queue.

The survey evaluated responses from over 1,000 airline passengers, focusing on eight key areas of customer service, including ease of contact, response times, and problem resolution.

Ryanair narrowly outperformed Wizz Air but still fell short of the sector average in all categories. The airline received a satisfaction score of +28, with many passengers citing long waits and difficulty in reaching customer service.

Half (49%) of Ryanair customers surveyed who contacted customer services reported experiencing a problem. Three in 10 (31%) of those who experienced an issue said that they waited a long time on the phone, a quarter (25%) said there were long delays receiving a response to an email and a further quarter (23%) also said they failed to get through to someone despite continuous attempts to do so.

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Flag carrier British Airways (IAG.L) was the third poorest performing airline for overall customer service, receiving a net satisfaction score of +46, compared to the sector average of +52, and half (48%) of people surveyed who had contacted British Airways reported a problem with their customer service interactions.

In stark contrast, Jet2 emerged as the highest-scoring airline with a customer satisfaction score of +81. Jet2 outperformed its competitors across all customer service metrics.

With the peak summer travel season underway, the survey revealed that the airline industry lags significantly in customer satisfaction. It received an average satisfaction score of just +52, compared to +72 for the financial services sector. This score placed airlines among the lowest performing industries, tied with broadband and just above the energy sector.

Which? is advocating for stronger regulatory oversight to protect consumers. Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, emphasised the need for airlines to invest in better customer service infrastructure

"Travellers are currently facing some of the highest ever fares, but our latest survey shows the standards of customer service of some airlines to be very poor," Concha said.

"The government must prioritise giving the Civil Aviation Authority stronger powers, including direct fining powers, so it can properly hold airlines to account when they fail to comply with consumer protection laws."

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