Passengers dish dirt on Ryanair’s mucky jets
RYANAIR planes are the filthiest in the UK, a study found.
Passengers endure soiled headrests, dusty window sills and greasy tray tables which are coated in hidden stains only viewable in ultraviolet light, according to an inspection of a recent flight with the budget airline.
The findings emerged in an investigation by Which?, the consumer champion.
In its survey of 8,000 travellers, only 42 per cent rated cleanliness as good on the Irish carrier’s aircraft. The average across 42 airlines surveyed was 81 per cent.
Which? suggested the unhygienic conditions could be a result of Ryanair’s quick airport turnaround times, with cabin crew ‘cutting corners’ on cleaning in the rush to get planes ready for take-off.
Although the budget carrier is not the only airline whose passengers have reported unhygienic conditions, it was voted significantly worse than other airlines included in the survey. Some 62 per cent of passengers using
Wizz Air, a Hungarian low-cost airline, voted cabin cleanliness as ‘good’. Next were Spanish airlines Vueling and Iberia at 63 per cent.
EasyJet, another budget airline, fared slightly better, with 68 per cent rating cleanliness as ‘good’, ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’. This went up to 78 per cent of passengers with British Airways.
Middle Eastern and Asian airlines fared exceptionally well. Signapore
Airlines scored 96 per cent while Emirates and Qatar Airways achieved 95 per cent.
Cathay Pacific and Swiss were also rated highly, both at 94 per cent. The highest-rated airline was Air New Zealand, where 97 per cent of passengers described cleanliness as ‘good’.
Rory Boland, of Which?, said: ‘Faster and faster turnarounds are one thing but it is unacceptable for some airlines to be cutting corners when it comes to cleaning out their cabins properly – no matter how cheap the airline ticket.
‘There are steps you can take; either choose your next flight on an airline that has a good track record for cleanliness or equip yourself with some antibacterial wipes. If you are flying Ryanair
‘Unacceptable to cut corners’
though, a biohazard suit might be more appropriate.’ Ryanair declined to comment. Previous studies have found that planes can be extremely unhygienic. The armrest is said to be one of the dirtiest parts of a plane seat and can be riddled with E. coli. Meanwhile, seatbelts, touched over the years by thousands of passengers, are rarely replaced or given a proper clean.