A SCOTTISH airline has topped the chart for customer service out of dozens of airlines.
In Which?'s annual airline survey, Scotland's Loganair was ranked as the second highest airline for short-haul flights in the UK, with a five star ranking for customer service - the highest score of any airline.
British Airways dropped below Ryanair for customer service when travellers need to get in contact.
For its annual airline satisfaction survey, the consumer champion surveyed travellers’ experiences of flying in the last year, analysing results for over 9000 flights in total.
Luke Farajallah, CEO, Loganair said: “Loganair is renowned for its gold standard customer service, so it is very encouraging to be given a five star rating by our customers. We are also very proud of the improved scoring in our operation delivery which our team have had a particular focus on over the last 12 months.
“Our pricing model is based on fairness and simplicity. The price we present is the price customers pay. There are no hidden costs, and we offer up to 21kg of checked luggage and a drink and a snack, as part of our service.
“Being ranked as the second highest performing airline operating in the UK is a credit to our hard-working staff who deliver exceptional service daily.”
How did Loganair score in the Which? annual airline survey?
Both Loganair and Jet2 scored five stars for their customer service, with Jet2 pipping the Scottish airline to the number one spot with a higher score in the "better value for money" category.
For short haul airlines, Jet2 took first place for the fourth consecutive year but the survey found Loganair was on time 71% on time, compared to Jet2's 68%.
Jet2 did have among the lowest rate of last-minute cancellations of any airline in the survey, with just 0.1 per cent cancelled at short notice, according to CAA data.
How did British Airways score in the Which? annual survey?
British Airways (BA) finished joint-bottom out of 19 airlines (with Air Canada) for long haul flights and 12th out of 16 carriers for short-haul travel. Ryanair finished bottom of the short-haul table.
BA and Air Canada scored only two stars out of five across several categories including value for money, seat comfort and cabin environment.
BA also has high levels of last-minute cancellations, with around two per cent of flights cancelled within 24 hours of departure, according to CAA data. One Which? survey respondent complained of the airline cancelling their flight by text in the early hours of the morning, leaving them struggling to rearrange their plans.
BA customer Joanne Anderson described BA as “dreadful” over an ongoing battle for a refund, which stretched for more than two months. The 76-year-old said the airline’s customer service team had told her on numerous occasions that she could expect to receive a refund within 7-10 days, but it took nine weeks to arrive.
She told Which?: “It feels like they are making a fool of their customers. They want to frustrate them until they just give up and go away.”
At the top of the long-haul survey, Singapore Airlines scored five out of five stars in most categories including customer service, ease of boarding, cleanliness and cabin environment, while Etihad was second on 78 per cent. Both airlines missed out on Which? Recommended Provider status due to “no-show” clauses, which mean they could cancel a passenger’s return flight if they miss the first leg of their journey.
Third-placed Emirates, which was named a Which? Recommended Provider, scored 77 per cent and got five stars for booking process and cabin environment.
How did Ryanair score in the Which? annual survey?
Ryanair came bottom of the short haul rankings with a paltry score of 49 per cent. The airline only managed a maximum of two stars in any category, scoring just one star for food and drink, seat comfort and boarding. Which? was told by almost half of Ryanair passengers (47%) that the company did nothing at all during delays, when asked whether airline staff provided explanations, information about their rights or provided food and drink vouchers.
One Ryanair passenger said: "You think you are getting a fairly cheap flight only to find that you have to pay extra for everything. I would rather the price was higher but not have to pay to take on a cabin bag. The plane was not clean and the seats were very uncomfortable.”
How did Wizz Air score in the Which? annual survey?
Wizz Air was just ahead of Ryanair with a customer score of 51 per cent and a meagre two stars across all categories in Which?’s survey. Almost half (47%) of passengers lamenting the booking process which includes endless choices about which add-ons to pay for.
A Wizz Air passenger complained they felt "fleeced" when they saw how much it cost to actually check in a suitcase. This reflects previous Which? research that found that selecting add-ons with Wizz Air on some routes could increase the initial advertised charge by over four times.
