Ryanair voted ‘worst airline’...again

RYANAIR has been ranked the worst short-haul airline for the sixth consecutive year in the annual travel survey by consumer group Which?.

The Dublin-based budget carrier was given the lowest possible score by passengers for boarding, seat comfort, food and drink, and the cabin environment.

However, Ryanair, which carries more passengers than any other airline in Europe, hit back claiming the poll of 8,000 people was 'unrepresentative and worthless'.

Of the mainstream airlines Jet2 fared the best and was voted third overall behind Guernsey airline Aurigny Air and Swiss. Easyjet was ranked 11th from 19 carriers and British Airways 15th.

And according to Which?, Ryanair is also now the airline most travellers avoid; of those expressing a preference, 70% said they would not use it. In a year hit by strike action, Ryanair refused to pay compensation for cancellations and faces action by the Civil Aviation Authority.

It was also criticised by travellers for continually changing its baggage rules over the year – from last January, only people paying for priority boarding were guaranteed their wheeled cabin-sized case would actually travel with them; then in November this was tweaked, paying priority still ensured the case was in the cabin but was only available for the first 90 passengers paying £6 and everyone else had to pay £8 to checkin their wheelie case to be carried in the hold...or travel with just a handbag fitting under the seat in front.

Ryanair maintains the latest rules actually make travelling cheaper for many; however, the carrier saw its coffers swell by £1.75 billion from ancillary costs in 2018, 28% of total revenue.