British Airways has defended its service levels after being ranked as the worst long-haul carrier in new research by Which?.
Ryanair and Wizz Air also criticised the Which? survey after they were rated bottom of the short-haul rankings in the consumer group’s annual airline satisfaction survey.
The poll ranked Singapore Airlines at the top of the long-haul rankings, above Etihad and Emirates.
Jet2.com took first place in the short-haul category for the fourth consecutive year and is also marking its 10th year as a Which? recommended provider.
The airline received high marks for customer service, booking, cleanliness and value for money.
Jet2.com also had among the lowest rate of last-minute cancellations of any airline in the survey, with just 0.1 per cent cancelled at short notice, according to Civil Aviation Authority data.
However, BA and Air Canada scored a “measly” two stars out of five across several categories including value for money, seat comfort and cabin environment, according to Which?.
BA also had high levels of last-minute cancellations, with around two per cent of flights cancelled within 24 hours of departure, according to CAA data.
“While BA performed slightly better than Ryanair for overall customer service, which includes experiences in the airport and on-board flights, separate in-depth research from the Which? consumer insight team shows the flag carrier has dropped below Ryanair for customer service satisfaction when travellers try to contact the airline,” the consumer body added.
The results follow Which? surveying travellers’ experiences of flying in the last year, analysing results for more than 9,000 flights in total from 7,828 Which? members and other travellers.
BA finished joint-bottom out of 19 airlines with Air Canada for long- haul flights and 12th out of 16 carriers for short-haul travel. Ryanair finished bottom of the short-haul table, just below Wizz Air.
Jet2.com achieved a customer score of 80% – while the bottom five all scored under 60% in the short-haul sector.
SIA was top for long-haul flights (81%) while BA and Air Canada languished on 62%.
But BA said: “This research from Which? is entirely at odds with comments from the hundreds of thousands of customers who we know do travel with British Airways and then tell us about their experience.
“Their feedback tells us customers are seeing the benefit of our £7 billion investment programme, with operational performance improving by 18% over the last 12 months, partnered with the introduction of new aircraft, the unveiling of our new First seat, free Wi-Fi messaging on flights and upgrades to nine of our lounges.
“This is also reflected in a recent independent study from Newsweek, which surveyed 17,000 people who voted us their most trusted airline brand.
“There is always room for improvement and we know we don’t always get things right, but we’re proud of the progress we’re making and will continue to focus on delivering the best possible service for our customers.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said:“Ryanair this year will carry 200 million passengers. Not one of our 200 million passengers wish to pay ‘higher prices’ as Which? falsely claim.”
Wizz Air accusedWhich? of “yet again misleading the public” with a survey that has a “staggeringly small” sample size.
A spokesperson said: “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% of our customer base.
“It is therefore not a fair or accurate representation of Wizz Air’s industry-leading operational performance and significantly improved customer service.
“Last year, Wizz Air was the second most punctual airline in the UK, and over the survey period in question, the airline’s flight completion rate was 99.4%, one of the highest in the entire industry.
“We have continued to prioritise our customer experience and have invested heavily over the past 12 months to make it easier for customers to access help and support.
“This year, we will be making further improvements to ensure passengers have a smooth and enjoyable travel experience while ensuring we have the best solutions in place in the event of an unexpected disruption.”
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays chief executive Steve Heapy said: “The list of accolades we have received from Which? means that customers and independent travel agents know they can trust and rely on us to go the extra mile when it comes to looking after them, and we know that this is a game-changer when it comes to deciding on who to book their next holiday with.”