Passengers rank Jetstar at bottom

JETSTAR has been rated as the worst airline in the world by travellers who cite long delays and lack of cost transparency as their biggest gripes.

About one in three Jetstar passengers reported flight delays and the average holdup was nearly four hours behind schedule, a new study shows.

The results were compiled by 11 consumer groups globally including Australian consumer watchdog Choice, after quizzing 11,000 passengers in the past year.

The findings showed Qantas was ranked the best of Australia’s national carriers (ranked 36), ahead of Virgin Australia (51) and Jetstar (73).

A Jetstar spokeswoman said the airline would always put safety before a schedule.

Emirates took the crown as the best airline in the world.

Tigerair was not included in the survey because the passenger sample size was too small at fewer than 100 responses.

Customers rated airlines on criteria including punctuality, checking in, boarding, treatment by staff, comfort on- board, meals, safety and value for money.

Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said Jetstar’s international rock-bottom rating should be “a real wake-up call for the airline”.

“Jetstar failed to fly. They are bottom of the pack when it comes to satisfaction,’’ he said.

“Across the board we see they are failing to perform and consumers are unhappy about their excessive fees. The aircraft aren’t clean and they are just not running on time.

“Consumers are unhappy, the airlines are not treating them the way they should and there are clear breaches of Australian consumer law. It’s an area we think the regulator needs to look at.”

Mr Godfrey said excessive booking surcharges, finally dumped last year, and optional areas that “trick consumers” into buying things they don’t need were significant bugbears.

A Jetstar spokeswoman said the airline was working on improving the airline experience.

“We recognise there is room for improvement and our team is doing a lot of work behind the scenes,’’ she said.