Singapore Airlines, Emirates, British Airways: The best and worst airlines according to passengers

British Airways is terrible value for money, has uncomfortable seats, and lousy food and drink. That’s according to the results of an annual passenger satisfaction survey conducted by UK consumer group Which?. 

The survey of more than 7,000 passengers taking 9,000-plus flights, ranks airlines based on customer feedback on various areas, including boarding and booking processes, and the experience in the cabin. It also uses data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority to establish how many flights were on time or cancelled. 

According to this year’s survey, BA and Air Canada are the worst long-haul airlines in the world, scoring an overall 62 per cent customer rating. Conversely, the top-performing airlines like Emirates, Qantas and Etihad all scored over 70 per cent, and the best-ranked carrier - Singapore Airlines - scored 81 per cent.

“There’s a clear disparity between airlines at the top and the bottom of the rankings,” says Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel. “Some airlines seem to think they can get away with treating their customers badly, knowing they are unlikely to face consequences in a sector with weak regulations.”

British Airways says the results are “entirely at odds” with the feedback it gathers itself from its own passengers. It points out its £7 billion (€8.44 bn) investment in improvements, and says customers are “already seeing the benefit.”

On the short-haul side, budget giant Ryanair scored the lowest, with a 49 per cent customer score. Which? noted that, despite being a value-for-money proposition, Ryanair “got a mediocre two stars for value for money.”

The consumer group quoted a Ryanair passenger as saying, “You think you are getting a fairly cheap flight only to find that you have to pay extra for everything. I would rather the price was higher but not have to pay to take on a cabin bag.”

But the Irish low-cost has hit back, saying the results are not representative of the millions of passengers who choose to fly with it each year.

“Ryanair this year will carry 200m passengers, all of whom (like us) ignore these fake Which surveys, and your invented passenger quantities,” Ryanair stated. “Not one of our 200m passengers wish to pay “higher prices” as you falsely claim. More Which rubbish.”

Which airlines were ranked the best to fly with?

At the top of the table, Singapore Airlines achieved a consumer score of 81 per cent, getting five stars for customer service, cabin environment, cleanliness and boarding process. 

Etihad scored one percentage point more than Emirates at 78 per cent, to take second place. However, Emirates ended up being the long-haul Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for one good reason.

Emirates is one of a few long-haul airlines that doesn’t automatically cancel your return ticket if you miss your outbound flight. Known as a ‘no show’ clause, both Etihad and Singapore Airlines missed out on the WRP status due to this practice.

In the short-haul market, the survey concluded Jet2 was rated the best airline with a customer score of 80 per cent. Passengers praised its booking process, helpful staff and low cancellation rate. 

British regional airline Loganair scored well at 72 per cent, with five stars for customer service. Scandinavian airline SAS took third place with just one percentage point less, helped by its impressive 77 per cent on-time flight record.

Are British Airways and Ryanair really that bad?

Being named and shamed is never pleasant for any brand, and both Ryanair and BA have hit back at the accusations from the Which? survey.

British Airways, in particular, is spending a great deal of cash on improving the experience for its passengers, investing over €8 billion in new cabins, technology, operational improvements and lounges. A key investment has been the rollout of free WiFi messaging for all passengers on all flights - a significant benefit in today’s connected world.

The Which? survey highlighted the plight of a British Airways customer who had waited for nine weeks for a refund for a cancelled flight. However, the route she was flying was not operated by BA, but by its partner airline Aer Lingus, therefore the refund process lay with them.

At the 2024 Skytrax awards - the ‘Oscars of aviation’ - British Airways was named the world’s most family-friendly airline. In the same year, it won best short-haul airline at the Business Traveller Awards and was voted Most Trusted Airline Brand in a survey by Newsweek.

“There is always room for improvement and we know we don’t always get things right,” British Airways admits. “But we’re proud of the progress we’re making and will continue to focus on delivering the best possible service for our customers.”

As airlines have raised in the past, the sample size for the Which? survey is very small. For an airline like BA, the opinions of the 253 long-haul travellers included in the results represent a tiny percentage of the total number of passengers it carries each year. For Ryanair, the 1,027 people who fed back to Which? are 0.0005 per cent of its customers.

With a customer score of 51 per cent, Wizz Air was second to last in the short-haul rankings. Like Ryanair and BA, it has lamented the small sample size. 

“Wizz Air flew over 12 million passengers in the UK over the last year and Which? only surveyed 109 Wizz Air customers - less than 0.001 per cent of our customer base,” the airline says. “It is therefore not a fair or accurate representation of Wizz Air’s industry-leading operational performance and significantly improved customer service.”

What are the top tips for airline passengers?

While the efficacy of the Which? survey is up for debate, the ranking does give some nuggets of useful information. Most notable is the ‘no show’ clause, which is certainly one to watch out for when booking long-haul flights. 

Just like Emirates, Virgin Atlantic and BA won’t cancel your return ticket if you miss your outbound flight. However, all three airlines say it’s important to let them know as soon as possible that you won’t make your outbound flight so they can preserve the return portion. 

When it comes to low-cost airlines, it pays to know what you’re getting into. Customers may complain about paying for bags and seat selection, but that’s the deal here - a bargain basement flight with no frills. Everything additional will mean additional spending.

And finally, if you’re planning to book a flight from Europe to the USA, it pays to fly with a European airline. Even on return flights, you’re covered by the strong consumer rights protections of the EU, including up to €600 if your flight is severely delayed or cancelled.