Wizz Air was the recipient of a 'dire customer score' according to consumer experts at Which? with tourists awarding the airline a mere one out of five stars in terms of boarding experience.
The same surveyors also gave Wizz one star for cabin environment and seat comfort, claiming that the budget airline provides some of the most lacklustre legroom of any flight provider.
Others also complained about delays from the airline, with just 56 per cent of flights arriving and departing on time according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority.
Read more: UK travellers with holidays to Spain, Portugal and Germany issued warning
But who else ranked poorly on the tier list? The Express reveals the full rankings from Which? below.
The UK’s worst short-haul airlines:
- Wizz Air
- Ryanair
- Eurowings
- British Airways
- Lufthansa
- Vueling Airlines
- Air France
- TUI Airways
- easyJet
- TAP Portugal
Ryanair also fared badly in the rankings with just one star awarded for boarding experience, seat comfort, food and drink and cabin environment. However, the airline was one of the UK’s most reliable with just 0.5 percent of its flights cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.
British Airways was also slammed by Britons with just two stars awarded for boarding experience and seat comfort. Jet2 emerged as the UK’s best short-haul airline with a customer satisfaction score of 80 percent.
The airline scored a whopping five stars for customer service with one customer saying it was the best airline by a 'country mile'. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “Travellers have had a torrid time in recent years, with last-minute delays and cancellations an unacceptably common occurrence.
“While airlines like Jet2.com have distinguished themselves by offering flyers excellent customer care and reliable service, too many of their competitors continually fail to measure up. If alternative carriers are available for your route, avoid Wizz Air, as its poor record on customer care means you’re likely to be left high and dry in the event your flight is delayed or cancelled.”
A WizzAir spokesperson said: “At Wizz Air, we do everything possible to ensure that passengers reach their destination on time and with minimal delay. We invest heavily into time performance, which is key to our ultra-efficient business model.
“A number of issues affecting the global aviation industry contributed to a worse time performance in 2022. These issues resulted from a widespread shortage in staff, in particular within air traffic control, ground operations and baggage handling, security and across airports.
“We are committed to constantly reviewing processes to mitigate these issues and are seeing an overall improvement in the on-time performance of our routes. Wizz Air operates a fleet of brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus aircraft, with an average age of 4.6 years, which offer passengers comfort, space, and modern interiors.
“The A321neo features the widest single-aisle cabin configuration with 239 18-inch-wide seats. Every aircraft is cleaned after each flight and deep cleaned every night. The onboard menu is reviewed and updated on a bi-monthly basis and, following customer feedback, a local products range was recently introduced on all Wizz Air UK flights.
"We welcome all customer feedback, so that we can continuously refine our processes to further enhance customer experience. ”
A British Airways Spokesperson, added: "We don’t feel this small survey, conducted during one of the most challenging periods in global aviation, accurately represents the views of the tens of millions of customers who’ve chosen to fly with us over the same period.
"While we don’t claim to get everything right every time, we continue to be recognised for the service we offer, recently winning Best Airline 2022 at the News UK Travel Awards and nine Business Traveller Awards over the past two years.
“Our customers tell us they appreciate being able to choose from a range of cabins, flying to and from central airports at convenient times of the day, plus our investment in new aircraft, new seating, WiFi, new menus, the complimentary snacks and water we offer in our short-haul economy cabin, and the most generous hand baggage allowance of any UK airline.”
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