Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Ryanair wins23 worst airline ..for 6th time
BUDGET carrier Ryanair has been ranked last for the sixth consecutive year in an airline customer survey.
Passengers gave it the lowest possible rating for boarding, seat comfort, food and drink and cabin environment.
Its overall customer score was 40% in the annual table. Of those who told consumer group Which? there was an airline with which they would never travel, 70% said Ryanair.
No other carrier came close. Rory Boland of Which? said: “The results of our survey show passengers are fed up.”
Ryanair axed flights last year amid staff strikes then refused to pay compensation. The Civil Aviation Authority began enforcement action. Figures showed the airline made £1.75billion in a year from extras such as assigned seating at up to £30 for a return. Three luggage rule changes also contributed to its rating. A passenger said: “I worry about getting caught with hidden costs.” The others at the bottom of short-haul rankings scored at least 50%: Thomas Cook Airlines (52%) and Wizz Air (54%). Customers scored Easyjet higher than both Ryanair and British Airways (56%), putting it in the middle of the table at 63%. Jet2 topped the list with 75%. Ryanair said: “This year we’ll carry 141 million customers, a 78% increase over the 79 million six years ago. So these irrelevant ratings don’t reflect passenger choice. The survey of almost 8,000 Which? members is totally unrepresentative.”