Consumer website Which? has said that both Ryanair and British Airways (BA) have been voted the worst short-haul airline for the way they handled refunds during the pandemic.
The pandemic has caused lots of issues and tress when it comes to flying.
Before the pandemic hit, millions of people had booked their holidays in advance as normal.
However when March 2020 hit, schools, colleges and universities began closing down in a bid to stop the spread and it wasn't long before summer holidays as a whole were cancelled.
Revealing the first airlines survey to include flights taken during the pandemic, Which? said that the pandemic had brought out "some of the worst customer service that the airlines sector has ever seen"
Discussing Ryanair, the comparison website stated that they survey asked passengers about the refund process as well as what had happened if a flight , for example, cancelled and if they were offered an alternative.
They stated: "Ryanair failed on both measures. Passengers that were able to fly in the last two years gave it just two stars for cabin cleanliness, boarding and customer service and its overall customer score was a fairly dismal 55%.
"And those who had had a flight disrupted since March 2020 were even less impressed. Just 47% were satisfied with the options offered by the airline in response to a flight they could not take."
BA was the other flights operator that came under fire in the survey, stating: "National flag carrier, British Airways, did better receiving 63% for both the overall customer score and the refund score, but was still second from bottom in the table.
"Both airlines were investigated last year by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) because they refused refunds to customers who couldn't fly because they were in lockdown. The CMA dropped the investigation due to a 'lack of clarity in the law' stating it couldn’t justify the expense of taking the case further. But it said it ‘strongly believed’ the airlines should have given these customers their money back."
What did the Which? survey say about Ryanair?
Which? states that just 29% of those who told said their flight were disrupted were satisfied with the customer service they received from Ryanair.
They added: "One in five people told us it took more than three months to get refunds. The airline also refused refunds for those who couldn’t legally travel because they were in lockdown. It has also vacillated on its ‘zero change fees’ policy for new bookings, scrapping it entirely in October last year, only to reintroduce it in late December and then ditch it again in January 2022.
"The policy does not apply to any bookings made now. And even those who were able to change their flights without incurring fees have told us that the policy left them paying extra to rebook luggage.
"Customers also told us that it was very difficult to contact the airline to resolve issues, with emails and phone calls going unanswered, and customers forced to queue online to talk to chat bots. As one reader put it ‘Ryanair is the most awkward airline to deal with that I have ever come across. It seems to be proud of being difficult’."
Ryanair did not respond to a request for comment.
What did the Which? survey say about British Airways?
As with many airline operator's, BA said that their phones were busy.
However two years later the situation is said not to have improved any further with customers spending "hours" on hold only to be "endlessly" passed between different departments or "hung up" on with one stating that it was "impossible to speak to anyone" with some being cut off multiple times,
The findings reads: "It’s for this reason that just 47% of customers with disrupted flights were satisfied with BA’s customer service while trying to resolve the problem. However, despite the airline refusing refunds to people who were unable to travel due to lockdown, most people (63%) were satisfied with the options offered when they did finally get through.
"And BA's redeeming feature is its flexible policy on new bookings. You can re-book, or cancel and request a voucher for any reason right up until check-in for your flight closes. This policy applies to flight bookings up to 31 August 2022."
BA told Which?: "We know we can do better and we’re working hard behind the scenes, upgrading our phone systems and recruiting more people to deliver a better and faster customer experience."
