Ryanair has finished last in the annual satisfaction survey of short-haul airlines published by Britain’s leading consumer watchdog while Aer Lingus has been placed at the bottom of the pile in the long-haul table.
There wasn’t much by way of good news for Irish airlines, according to the Which? Magazine’s survey of more than 5,500, passengers, but Jet2 will be considerably happier, having been ranked best airline in the short-haul category, with Singapore Airlines topping the long-haul charts.
Ryanair was given a total score of 55 per cent after being awarded two stars out of five for its booking process, boarding, customer service and cabin environment, and just one star for seat comfort.
Wizz Air also finished near the bottom, scoring 59 per cent, and was awarded two stars in the majority of categories.
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Ryanair scored highest in the value for money category, being awarded three stars, although that was below other short-haul carriers including Lufthansa, TUI and Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus scored 71 per cent in the short-haul category which saw it finish in the middle of the pack overall, with Jet2 proving to be the big winner for reliability, cancelling fewer flights at the last minute than most of its rivals and clinching four stars for its booking process, customer service and value for money.
For long-haul, Singapore Airlines received the highest customer score of 81 per cent, with the airline earning five stars for its cabin environment and customer service.
By contrast, Aer Lingus’s long-haul division finished on 65 per cent, scoring just two stars for seat comfort and cabin environment – crucial categories for longer flights. It did, however, manage three stars for value for money, customer service, booking process, boarding process, and food and drink.
Airlines were given a right of reply by Which? with Ryanair saying that neither it or its 208 million passengers “pay any attention to these made-up manufactured surveys or their fake results. Every passenger booking a flight has a choice and last year 208 million consumers chose Ryanair, while nobody reads or pays any attention to Which? fake surveys”.
The editor of Which? Travel said it was “outrageous” to see Ryanair “openly scoff at the poor experiences” of its customers.
“They love to blow their own trumpet about the number of passengers who fly with them, but on many routes, there is simply no other choice. Many other passengers fly with them because of the enticingly low headline fares. But ridiculously expensive charges for baggage and other add-ons mean they are no longer guaranteed to be the cheapest option.”
An Aer Lingus spokeswoman said the Which? survey “relates to a small number of customers travelling on long-haul services from our transatlantic Manchester base”.
She said it was closing soon and added that the airline surveys customers on an ongoing basis and is “pleased that in 2025 we achieved our highest-ever customer satisfaction scores”.
She also said it was the most punctual base carrier at Dublin Airport.
