The UK’s best and worst airlines for customer service over the past year have been revealed in a new Which? survey.
It’s peak holiday season for millions of Brits nationwide at the moment, with August having just arrived and schools across the country now out for the summer, so it stands to reason that more people will be hopping on a plane in search of some sunshine than usual, and with that, airlines will have a lot more customers to keep satisfied.
But which airlines are considered to be the ‘worst’ when it comes to customer service?
Well, in a bid to get to the bottom of this, Which? decided to run one of its annual surveys to see “where customer service is going wrong” – and, on the flip side, where it’s going right – and find out who the worst offenders are.
The leading consumer group asked more than 1,000 adult passengers who had travelled with and contacted a major UK airline in the last year about their experiences of customer service, and asked them a series of questions to answer with ratings based on how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with that experience.
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Which? also used undercover researchers posing as customers to contact some of the UK’s most popular airlines, as well as those that previously rated poorly for customer service or rated poorly overall in its recent surveys, during the busy Easter break earlier this year.
British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, KLM, Tui, Ryanair, Vueling, and Wizz Air were the airlines contacted.
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Unfortunately, it was Wizz Air that claimed the not-so-coveted top spot on the 2024 list, with fellow budget airline Ryanair following close behind in second.
A table of results showing the UK’s worst airlines for ‘overall customer service’ in 2024 / Credit: Which?
Wizz Air received the lowest scores with only +13 satisfaction rating for ‘overall customer service’, which is 39 points behind the sector average of +52, while Ryanair also performed poorly and sits at nearly half the sector average with a mere +28.
British Airways was the only other airline to perform below average for ‘overall customer service’, sitting third-from-bottom of the table with a score of +46, which is 6 points below the average.
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While Which? says its latest survey findings go some way to suggesting there may be some underlying issues affecting airlines’ customer service that needs to be addressed, and that improving these should be a “priority to regain customer trust and satisfaction” for the airlines found to be the worst offender, it’s not all doom and gloom.
That’s because, on the positive side, Jet2 achieved the highest satisfaction scores across nearly all categories – including ‘overall customer service’.
The only exception for Jet2 was the question ‘how well my issue/query was resolved’, where Emirates instead claimed the top spot here, with a rating of +81.
80% of drivers say they regularly see people ‘excessively speeding’ on UK roads
Emily Sergeant
80% of drivers say they regularly see people ‘excessively speeding’ on UK roads, new data from the RAC has revealed.
After the Government‘s road casualty statistics showed that ‘exceeding the speed limit’ was sadly a contributory factor to a total of 304 (21%) fatal collisions in 2023, the RAC spoke to 2,691 drivers to gather their experiences about driving on roads nationwide as part of its annual Report on Motoring for 2024.
82% of drivers surveyed noticed others breaking the limit excessively on motorways and high-speed dual carriageways, while 80% said it was also a common occurrence on 30mph or 20mph roads.
In comparison to previous years, the sharpest increase in speeding figures was found on 20mph roads, where 50% of drivers said they have frequently or occasionally broken the limit – which is up from 46% a year ago, and 36% from 2018.
It’s motorways where drivers admit to breaking the limit more often than on any other type of road, however, with 58% admitting to going above 70mph in 2024.
80% of drivers say they regularly see people ‘excessively speeding’ on UK roads / Credit: Don Sniegowski (via Flickr)
Figures also showed that many appear to see the speed limit as a target, with seven in 10 drivers (72%) saying they try to drive as close to the speed limit as possible, while 55% believe there is a culture among UK road users where it’s acceptable to break the speed limit.
“It’s concerning that our research indicates excessive speeding has become so commonplace because the consequences are very severe,” explained RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis.
“It is particularly worrying that so much excessive speeding observed by drivers appears to take place on 20mph and 30mph roads, as this is where the greatest number of vulnerable road users are, such as pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders.
“We badly need to bring an end to excessive speeding to keep us all safe.
“The Government is working on the country’s first road safety strategy for many years, so we hope that tackling this will be treated as a priority.”
Featured Image – Rawpixel
Travel & Tourism
Train tickets slashed by up to 50% in huge Rail Sale across the UK
Daisy Jackson
A huge rail sale has gone live with thousands of train journeys around the UK slashed in price by up to 50%.
Almost all UK train operators are taking part in the sale, which falls around the 200th anniversary of UK Rail.
There are more discounted tickets available than ever before, from short jaunts to neighbouring cities like Leeds and Sheffield to further-flung trips like Edinburgh and London.
It’s hoped that this huge rail sale will encourage more people to travel by train, and comes as the Government continues its overhaul of the railways.
Millions of train tickets are available at half the price, between 14 January and 20 January.
The sale applies to select advance and off-peak fares on travel between 17 January and 31 March 2025.
These offers won’t last long, and only apply to a limited number of tickets, so you’ll want to move fast to snap up a bargain.
It’s reported that last year’s rail sale saved passengers £5.8 million in total.
Secretary of State, Heidi Alexander, said: “I’m launching the biggest ever rail sale so more passengers can get big discounts on train tickets to visit destinations across the country.
“Whether you’re planning a getaway or wanting to visit friends or family, this sale offers huge reductions on all sorts of journeys.
Train tickets slashed by up to 50% in huge Rail Sale across the UK. Credit: Unsplash, Fraser Cottrell
“Make the most of this sale, get your tickets while you can!”
The 2025 rail sale comes on the 200th anniversary of the first steam-powered passenger train with celebrations expected throughout the year as part of Railway 200.
Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of Rail Delivery Group, said: “This year, as we celebrate 200 years of railways in the UK, we’re reminded that rail travel is about much more than simply getting from A to B – it’s about bringing people, communities and opportunities together.
“Over 2 centuries, rail has become a vital part of the UK, shaping the economy and lives of millions.
“The year’s rail sale will offer over 2 million discounted advance fares starting on 14 January 2025, which is a great way to save on your travel and celebrate 200 years of railway connections.”
Next step – making that train between Manchester and London a bit more affordable every day of the year…
Emily Sergeant -
1st August 2024 
