Airline passengers’ satisfaction falls again

AIRLINE passengers have become more dissatisfied over the past two years, new research suggests.

Eight in 10 (82 per cent) of passengers are now happy with their flying experience, according to a poll by the Civil Aviation Authority, which regulates flights.

This is down from 83 per cent in April and 90 per cent in 2016, it said.

It comes after what has been a particularly disruptive period in airline travel, with Ryanair cancellations, British Airways technical problems and the recent drone chaos at Gatwick.

Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor, said: “It’s no surprise that passengers are increasingly dissatisfied with flying. The last 18 months has seen hundreds of thousands of passengers facing last minute cancellations and delays. And the customer service response has too often been woeful.

“When British Airways mass cancelled flights in May 2017 it handed out yoga mats for passengers to sleep on rather than booking them into hotels, as it’s obliged to do, while Ryanair has repeatedly refused to issue compensation to passengers whose holidays it cancelled at the last minute this summer.”

However a spokesman for Airlines UK, which represents UK airline carriers, said: “In the vast majority of cases passengers have an enjoyable travelling experience. More people are choosing to fly than ever before and airlines are committed to consistently improving their offering whilst delivering travel at lower cost.”