With the world now a week into the 2019 calendar year, the consumer comparison site “Which?” has released their annual airline rankings. The rankings come following a survey of thousands of passengers. Ryanair has added to their streak, with this being the 6th year in a row that the airline has scored at the bottom of the league. It really hasn’t been a great year for the airline which was hit with the pilot holiday scandal, a number of pilot strikes, and poor press. Just this week Simple Flying reported that Ryanair was also the worst airline for drunk passengers according to which. As such, those answering the survey by Which didn’t hold back with their ratings. In fact, overall the low-cost airline only scored a shocking 40% for customer service.
141 Million
Despite the repeated bad ratings, passengers keep coming back to Ryanair. The airline is expecting to carry a mammoth 141 million passengers this year. The reason that passengers keep coming back time and time again is simple. Despite the poor customer service score from Which, the airline offers crazy low prices. As such, if you’re looking to travel light, not sit with anybody, and book well in advance then you can take advantage of the fare prices. Cologne to London for example costs at least €26 with British Airways, however, Ryanair offers the flight for just €10, however, the savings can be even greater than that!
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Not Entirely Alone
Ryanair is not entirely alone toward the bottom of the league tables. Thomas Cook only scored 52%, while Wizz Air only scored 54%. Ryanair scored 1 out of 5, 1 out of 5, and 2 out of 5 for boarding, seat comfort, and value for money respectively. In contrast, the second worst airline scored 3 out of 5, 2 out of 5, and 2 out of 5.
Why The Low Score?
There are likely a number of reasons why Ryanair scored so badly this year. Firstly, during the repeated pilot strike action towards the end of the year, passengers experienced great delays. As such, they were entitled to compensation under EU law. This was compensation which Ryanair didn’t want to pay. In fact, the Civil Aviation Administration has been forced to take enforcement action over Ryanair regarding the situation.
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Additionally, passengers have had to contest two different changes to the company’s hand baggage policy. This was so badly received by the travelling public that the airline was forced to give customers a month's grace while adjusting to the changes. At the start of the year, changes meant that passengers who did not pay for priority boarding had to check their carry on bag for free at the gate. Now passengers are required to purchase the privilege of taking anything beyond a small bag onto the flight with them.
What Did Ryanair Say?
According to Which, Ryanair denied that the strikes had caused a significant impact on its services, citing that 90% of flights still operated. It also said that “it delivers industry-leading customer service” and that it has simplified its baggage policy. According to Which: “It insists that passengers will continue to book with Ryanair as ‘having the lowest prices wins every time’.”
Did you fly with Ryanair last year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!