Which? survey names UK’s ‘worst’ airline for customer service

Airlines were found to be the third worst sector for customer service out of nine industries evaluated

Ryanair often catches flak for its customer service, but it bagged the second spot in the UK, as per the consumer watchdog Which? In their recent survey conducted this May with over 4,000 fliers, airlines ranked third from the bottom in customer satisfaction across nine different industries.

Wizz Air landed at the unenviable position of the lowest-ranked airline, garnering a net satisfaction score of 13, starkly contrasting the sector’s average of 52. Wizz Air, however, disputes these results, pointing out that Which? surveyed only a fraction of their clientele and reaffirmed their commitment to customer service enhancement, reports the Daily Record.

Commenting on the industry’s performance, Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: “Travellers are currently facing some of the highest ever fares, but our latest survey shows the standards of customer service of some airlines to be very poor.

“Airlines must step up their game and ensure they are properly investing in their customer services to make it easier for passengers to get in touch with someone who can help, and get timely and effective solutions when they encounter a problem.”

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This revelation is a particular setback for Wizz Air which, just last year, committed to amping up its offerings. The survey by Which suggests that about three-fifths of Wizz Air’s customers who contacted customer support reported experiencing an issue significantly higher than the industry average where only two-fifths faced difficulties.

Scores of Wizz Air customers have voiced their dissatisfaction with the airline’s customer service, with 44% citing lengthy delays in email correspondence and an equal number expressing frustration with unhelpful or dismissive advisors. A third reported excessive phone wait times before finally connecting with a representative, while many didn’t get through at all.

One in five said they were unable to reach customer services despite repeated efforts, or never received a response to their emails. Additionally, 13% experienced call disconnections after a prolonged wait in the queue.

Marion Geoffroy, Wizz Air UK’s managing director, said: “We do not accept the findings of this report, which are inaccurate, unrepresentative and misleading. Which? only surveyed 68 Wizz Air customers, which is less that 0.001% of our UK customer base of 12.3 million passengers. It is unclear to us how Which? can claim its survey is nationally representative when only 1.66% of their respondents said they had contacted Wizz Air’s customer service team.”

Geoffroy further highlighted the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction, stating: “We are serious about constantly improving and providing great customer service. We made a public commitment to our customers in 2023 to improve Wizz Air’s operations and set ourselves clear targets. Since then, we have invested more than £90 million and are proud of the results to date, which are among the strongest in the entire industry.”

He further expressed their acknowledgement of potential areas for improvement, emphasising their dedication to progress, and expressed disappointment with Which?’s stance. He added: “We are disappointed that Which? is wrongly pointing the finger at Wizz Air once again and will continue to try to engage with the organisation to highlight the points raised in this response.”

The budget-friendly Ryanair did not fare much better, landing a satisfaction rating of just 28, while Britain’s flagship carrier British Airways achieved a middling score of 46. The low-cost Irish airline group Ryanair received a dismal consumer satisfaction score of only nine for its range of contact options, starkly contrasting with the sector average of 39.

Ryanair scored a measly 16 for the ease of getting hold of someone who could actually help, which is far below the industry standard of 40. Nearly half of the Ryanair customers surveyed who reached out to customer services reported encountering problems.

Given the extra charges Ryanair imposes for add-ons such as baggage and seat selection, passengers often find that their supposedly budget flight might not represent the bargain they expected, especially when factoring in subpar travel experiences. Meanwhile, British Airways, steeped in national pride, secured the third-worst spot in terms of overall customer service satisfaction, mustering a score of 46 against an industry average of 52.

48% of those surveyed who had dealings with British Airways reported issues with their customer service. However, it did perform on par or better than the sector average in certain areas, scoring 56 for the resolution of issues and queries and 48 for the range of contact options available, against the sector’s score of 39.

In contrast, Jet2 topped the table as the highest-scoring airline with a customer satisfaction score of 81.