The best and worst airlines in the world
Tina Arora
13 June 2018
Best and worst airlines 2018
From poor facilities and dirty seats to overnight delays, we all have airline dramas to tell. In their annual ranking, flight compensation company AirHelp has revealed the best and worst airlines in the world based on how well airlines resolve flight delays, amenities provided and flight punctuality. Here’s how the airlines stacked up.
20th best: Transavia.com
Part of the Air France KLM group, Transavia.com runs low-cost flights to Europe and Northern Africa from the Netherlands, France and Germany. Their new aircraft is popular among customers and they don’t scrimp on customer service, despite being at a lower price point. Punctuality is also a big draw and the airline is frequently called “efficient”.
19th best: Air Dolimiti
This airline mainly flies to Italy and Germany (hence the name), and does a good job at providing clean planes, if a little on the small side. While some grumble about the planes being a bit old, the fact that they serve wine in proper glasses gets a big cheer.
18th best: Aer Lingus
A big plus for this airline, which flies across Europe and the US, is that if you’re travelling to the latter you can do pre-clearance checks in Dublin, meaning you won’t have a long wait in immigration on the other side. They are praised for having decent snacks and good in-flight entertainment. They don’t rank highly for customer service but people acknowledge it isn’t bad for the price.
17th best: El Al Israel Airlines
Known as El Al, this airline flies across Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Check-in is speedy and flight attendants are friendly and smiley, but their main strength is dealing with flight delays. Prioritising safety was another big thing that customers comment on.
16th best: Emirates
Usually famed for its service and quality aircrafts, Emirates didn’t fare as well in this round-up. However, it remains consistently good at providing comfortable seats, good entertainment and reasonable price points. Staff were complimented for being friendly and they’ve just started to re-introduced little flight bags into economy with socks and a toothbrush.
15th best: Turkish Airlines
Turkey's national airline may not have huge seats but the aeroplanes themselves feel roomy. They fly to lesser-known destinations like Kosovo, so it’s a consistently good option for adventurous travellers. It’s reasonably priced too, and they don’t skimp on customer service or food.
14th best: Flybe
Running low-cost flights to Europe and across the UK, Flybe has managed to nail making a budget airline experience pleasant. The planes tend to be quite small and are only two seats in a row but service is efficient.
13th best: Wizz Air
This Hungarian airline doesn’t rank highly in customer reviews but clearly it’s doing something right. Customers say, “It does what it says on the tin”. While service isn’t fantastic, it’s passable for what you’re paying, and above all, planes are clean.
12th best: Norwegian
A top draw for this low-cost airline is the TV screen on every seat to while away the hours. People say it’s worth bumping up to a premium seat on long-haul flights as you get a lot more leg room for your buck.
11th best: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Title
This airline hits the magic combination of good prices, customer service and amenities on board. Pilots were praised for good communication when delays occurred and friendly staff were a highlight.
10th best: Virgin Atlantic
Staff on Virgin Atlantic were called “kind” and “attentive”, and the airline was pretty generous with the food portions too. Toilets are checked and cleaned regularly, and, let’s face it, that’s a high priority on long-haul flights.
9th best: Air Malta
Free snacks are always welcome and these days, hard to come by on short-haul flights. Air Malta ranks highly for communication about delays and feeding passengers no matter how short the flight is.
8th best: Qantas
Ranking highly for seat comfort and entertainment, people felt they could sleep better and were fed better than other airlines. Some liked that there were three meal options and a vast selection of films to watch. Even on short-haul flights, free drinks were served.
7th best: Aegean Airlines
Aside from clean planes and good staff service, Aegean is pretty generous even on their short-haul flights with free food and mints. Cabin crew are also praised for being immaculately attired and polite. They excel in providing for special meal requests and accommodating passengers with disabilities smoothly and seamlessly.
6th best: Austrian Airlines
On short-haul flights, this airline runs a smooth check-in and boarding process, and supplies everyone with tea and coffee when on board.
5th best: South African Airways
Punctuality is a biggie for South African Airways, as well as good food and attentive service. One customer said it was a nod back to the airline service of yesteryear, and if that isn’t a compliment, we don’t know what is.
4th best: Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines wins multiple awards every year, so it’s no surprise it features in the top set of best airlines. They run a tight ship from smooth and easy check-in to helpful staff no matter what class you fly, clean planes and good food. Regular snack boxes in the galleys are available for those who might feel peckish on long-haul flights. The film choices are also ace.
3rd best: Etihad
Aside from bearing the accolade for TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice award, Etihad has really bumped up its offering with new planes. You get real cutlery even in economy, and the food and in-flight entertainment options are pretty swish too.
2nd best: Lufthansa
Lufthansa is the only 5-star European airline and it delivers 5-star amenities. The planes have enough toilets so it doesn’t get apocalyptic on long-haul flights, printed, multi-choice menus in all classes are a nice touch on long-haul journeys, and short-haul flights come with a beverage and snack.
The best: Qatar Airways
It’s quite a run for Qatar – last year they won Skytrax’s Airline of the Year and have consistently been award-winning in terms of service and value for money. For plane nerds, it’s heaven. They have the superjumbo A380, the world's largest airliner. In economy you still get amenities like toiletries and generous food portions.
The world's worst airlines
And now here are 20 of the world's worst airlines...
20th worst: Avianca
Avianca connects Colombia to Europe, Africa and the US, as well as a lot of South America. Why has it got the thumbs down? Old planes and poor communication are top of the list. If there are delays, there are often no explanations given. One customer who had a cancelled flight received no apology and had to sleep on top of his suitcase for six hours in the airport.
19th worst: Vueling Airlines
Vueling's flight delays, re-routing or cancellations put their passengers at the risk of extra expense through taxis or needing to rebook flights, without much in the way of an apology.
18th worst: Aeroflot Russian Airlines
This Russian airline isn’t all bad – some say it’s better than expected. However, it consistently ranks low for customer service, with complaints about rude staff or delays in food and drink service. When flights are delayed, staff have a reputation for responding poorly to enquiries.
17th worst: Czech Airlines
Huge lines for check-in indicate there aren't enough staff spread across flights, but the biggest gripe is this airline’s habit for changing departure times with little notice – and then not letting customers know what’s going on. Some passengers were unnecessarily stressed by not being notified about transfers or changes in flight carriers.
16th worst: Kuwait Airways
Most Middle Eastern airlines are top-notch with customer service but Kuwait Airways didn’t get the memo. Customer service was the worst thing about the airline, in terms of both the in-flight experience and when people tried to lodge a complaint or get a refund.
15th worst: Air India
Creaky, old entertainment systems that don’t work, bad customer service and dodgy toilets all summarise why Air India is in this part of the list. Many people report the airline doesn't provide enough blankets and plane interiors are dirty.
14th worst: Asiana Airlines
Flight attendants have been praised for doing a good job but overall, the airline is let down by old planes and a lack of forethought to wheelchair facilities.
13th worst: Tap Portugal
Issues with Tap range from problems with cancellations and refunds (customers have to face a lengthy and difficult process) to boarding flights and bad communication with ground staff.
12th worst: Jet2.com
Overall this airline seems to be doing the right things in offering cheap flights with minimum fuss. But, they tend to fall in the low-cost trap of not packing enough food on the flight and making the check-in and seating process difficult. A frequent complaint on TripAdvisor is that seats for groups are always scattered across the flight.
11th worst: Thai Airways
The reviews are mixed for Thai Airways, but judging by recent customer reviews on Trustpilot and TripAdvisor, the main problem is how it processes claims. According to AirHelp, this airline does well in customer service but ranks poorly in claims.
10th worst: Jet Airways
Jet Airways hits the top 10 worst airlines for a multitude of sins: a 65% flight punctuality rating, bad customer service at check-in and on the flight, and communicating to passengers about transit flights. The seats have also come under fire for being unyielding and uncomfortable.
9th worst: Aerolineas Argentinas
If your flight takes off and is on time, this probably won’t be the worst airline you’ve flown with. But if there are cancellations and you need to rebook a flight or get a refund, you may end up tearing your hair out. The majority of bad reviews all have the same thing in common: being on hold for hours to speak to someone in customer service or receiving no reply.
8th worst: Iberia
Customer service is cited as a big bugbear if you need to call to verify or change flight details. One customer said this airline seemed uninterested in his queries. Some plus points were good wine and efficient staff, downsides were dodgy stale food and dirty aircrafts.
7th worst: Korean Air
Korean Air got the thumbs up for new, clean planes but for long-haul flights, there isn’t a huge choice in the way of entertainment. Overall, the food quality wasn't highly rated.
6th worst: Ryanair
No sniggering in the back. Ryanair is actually pretty punctual with its flights, but overall, it continues to make the low-cost experience a painful one. There are extra costs, airports far away from the destination they claim to be near, uncomfortable seats and inconsistent in-flight food options. It also ranked low for quality of service.
5th worst: Air Mauritius
Most of the reviews for Air Mauritius are glowing – great staff and brilliant in-flight entertainment (barring consistent complaints about the system breaking down). But many passengers have commented that the airline handles claims extremely badly.
4th worst: EasyJet
Unlike its notorious rival Ryanair, EasyJet has fewer punctual flights. It is also terrible at processing claims and customer service is regularly described as “shocking” or “awful”. Often, people’s frustrations stem from flight cancellations and not being given enough updates on delays.
3rd worst: Pakistan International Airlines
Consistently ranking low across all three categories, common complaints include broken entertainment systems, flight delays and no amenities. Overall, people aren't impressed with the old planes and found the food to be lacking, resulting in an overall terrible experience.
2nd worst: Royal Jordanian Airlines
Their planes may be on time, but Royal Jordinian Airlines ranks the lowest for claims processing. Overall, cabin crew are rated highly, but ground staff don’t get the same glowing reports and are blamed for a lot of the stress of flying with them.
The worst: WOW Air
WOW Air owes its number one spot as worst airline due to poor customer service, including responding to flights delays or cancellations. Missing flight connections and lost luggage seem to be consistent problems which is not...wow at all.
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