The best and worst UK-based airlines for customer service revealed

Which? the consumer choice group named Wizz Air as the airline that is least popular with passengers.

The information was gleaned from a 4,000-person survey in May, measuring customer service performance across numerous industries. Overall, airlines scored badly.  

The survey focused on eight key customer service areas: contact accessibility, problem resolution, and response timing. 

Wizz Air had a net satisfaction score of +13, substantially below the industry average of +52. Ryanair and British Airways also scored below average, with scores of +28 and +46, respectively.

Recent findings show that 57% of Wizz passengers said they had encountered problems with customer service, compared with the airline industry average of 41%. Many of those who dealt with customer service with Wizz Air said they experienced long, delayed responses to their emails and also reported that customer service assistants were usually unhelpful and dismissive.

Ryanair, which scored better than Wizz Air, still scored below average in all categories. The airline scored +28 on its overall satisfaction score, as many customers complained of long wait times and difficulty contacting customer service.

The survey reported that nearly half (49%) of Ryanair customers have experienced problems. Three in 10 of those surveyed reported difficulties and said they experienced prolonged waiting times on the phone. A quarter said they had experienced poor response times to email, and a further quarter said they had failed to make a connection with the airline, despite numerous attempts.

British Airways came in as the third poorest-performing airline for overall customer service, receiving a net satisfaction score of +52. Half (48%) of those surveyed who had contacted British Airways customer service reported a negative experience.

In contrast, Jet2 scored as the highest-performing airline based on customer service, outperforming its competitors in all customer service benchmarks. The airline scored a customer satisfaction score of +81.

As the travel season usually peaks in the summer, the survey identified that the airline industry often falls behind in customer satisfaction. The industry received an average satisfaction score of just +52, while the financial services sector scored +72.