‘Worst’ airlines for customer service named by consumer group – but companies say research is ‘misleading’ | Business News

Wizz Air has been named the worst performing airline for customer service by a leading consumer group.

Which? said the budget airline had the lowest rating “by far” in a survey of around 1,000 adults.

Respondents were asked about airline performance in eight areas of customer service, including how easy it was to find a contact number, how long it took to get in touch with a person and how well problems were resolved.

Wizz Air received a net satisfaction score of +13. More than half of respondents said they had experienced at least one issue with their carrier’s customer service, and a fifth said the company never responded to their email.

One in ten said their call was disconnected after spending too long in the queue.

This comes after the company was recently ranked as the Worst airline for UK flight delays for the third consecutive year, according to data analysis from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The second worst airline for customer service, according to Which? research carried out in May, was Ryanairwhich received a score of +28.

British Airways (BA) it ranked third at the bottom of the list, with +46, although it received a slightly above average score for the way problems and queries were resolved.

Airlines reacted to the findings, with Wizz Air describing the report as “inaccurate, unrepresentative and misleading”.

Ryanair called it “fake research”, while BA dismissed it as not “representative or credible”.

The best performing airline, according to the survey, was Jet2which received a customer satisfaction score of +81.

Rocio Concha, director of Which?, said: “Currently, travelers are facing some of the highest fares ever, but our latest research shows the customer service standards of some Airlines be very poor.

“Airlines must step up their game and ensure they are adequately investing in their customer services to make it easier for passengers to get in touch with someone who can help and get timely and effective solutions when they encounter a problem.

“The government should prioritize giving the CAA stronger powers, including direct fine powers, so it can properly hold airlines to account when they fail to comply with consumer protection laws.”

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‘Not credible’

Managing Director of Wizz Air UK Marion Geoffroy said: “We do not accept the conclusions of this report, which are inaccurate, unrepresentative and misleading.

“Which? interviewed just 68 Wizz Air customers, which represents less than 0.001% of our UK customer base of 12.3 million passengers.

“It is unclear to us how Which? can claim its research is nationally representative when only 1.66% of respondents said they had contacted Wizz Air’s customer service team.”

She added: “We are serious about constantly improving and providing excellent customer service. We have made a public commitment to our customers in 2023 to improve Wizz Air operations and set clear goals.

“Since then, we have invested over £90 million and are proud of the results to date, which are among the strongest in the entire sector.”

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This is another fake survey from Which? using a small sample… (of which only 130 claimed to be Ryanair passengers) which produces more fake news for Which?

“This year, almost 200 million passengers will choose to fly Ryanair for our lowest fares and great care.”

BA said: “It is disappointing that this survey, which is not a representative or reliable sample of our customers, is presented as such.

“Our teams work around the clock to support our customers, and in recent years we have introduced additional customer representatives and invested in new systems to improve their experience.”