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Europe may be the global capital of rail travel, with new exciting cross-border journeys launching this year, including a sleeper train visiting seven of the most beautiful cities, but flying remains by far the easiest and most cheapest way to explore the culturally charged continent.
Even the most environmentally conscious traveler will throw caution to the wind when tempted with ten-dollar flights to Spain or a last-minute sunny getaway to Cyprus that costs less commuting within one countrybut flying in Europe is not possible without its challenges.
While it’s true that you can save a significant amount of money by traveling cheaply, you will need to master the art of packing carry-on luggage, adhere to a strict baggage policy, and may need to allow some flexibility in your travel plans ( you can know, in case there is any delay).
In case you’re wondering, and if you’re the kind who likes to make more informed decisions when it comes to booking flights, there’s a new Which? research has shown that top 3 worst airlines for short-haul flights in Europe (including the leading budget carrier):
Iberia
With an approval rating of 49%, Spain’s Iberia is not only the third worst airline for flights within Europe, but also the worst-ranked full-service airline based on the Which? questionnaire. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, like round 87% of flights will arrive on time.
Yet on-time performance is not the only metric to take into account, as the lack of free food and personalized service on short-haul routes, which make up the bulk of Iberia’s flight map, is likely to be perceived negatively by customers.
This wouldn’t be a problem for Ryanair, Vueling or easyJet, as resorting to aggressive fare wars while keeping operating costs as low as possible seems to be their business model. Iberia, on the other hand, does higher ticket prices compared to budget airlines.
If you fly from London to Madrid, tickets start from $86 one-way, without luggage, compared to just $25 on Ryanair. At those fares, you’d expect Iberia to offer more comfort, or even offer free snacks on board, and it does almost never the case at short distances.
Ryanair
Speaking of Ryanair: the Irish giant is the largest budget airline in Europe 227 international destinations. The short-haul flights serve not only European, but also North African, Middle Eastern and West Asian hubs, with Morocco, Turkiye, Egypt and Armenia, to name just a few.
When it comes to customer service, you get what you pay for: you can’t expect pampering, well-cushioned seats, free snacks or even a recline on a $20 flight from Paris-Beauvais to Gdansk, one of the most beautiful cities in Poland, or Malaga, on Spain’s warm Costa Del Sol.
At a 47% approval rating, complaints include stiff seats and (sometimes) dismissive staff. Compared to the United States, it is virtually impossible to fire contract workers based on their performance and/or treatment of customers unless it is something major due to Europe’s robust labor rights.
Do not expect that Ryanair flight attendants will go out of their way to meet your needs, nor that the airline itself will be understanding or provide refunds if you are unable to make your flight for personal reasons. On the other hand, their punctuality is not suboptimal, with most departures taking place on time.
Wizz Air
The title of worst airline in Europe currently goes to Hungary-based Wizz Air a customer score of only 44%. Its problems are similar to Ryanair’s in that it scores low on seat comfort, food and drink, and is essentially Business and First Class customers’ worst nightmare.
It gets you where you need to be, and there’s no denying that cheap last minute tickets starting at $34 are hard to come by on other airlines, but you definitely shouldn’t expect the generally indifferent staff to adhere to the highest standards of customer service.
Again, this isn’t America, where it’s all about smiles and pleasantries. That said, Wizz Air’s flights in 2023 departed largely on time only 2% delay at over three hours, higher than most of its competitors, but still not alarmingly high.
The company has opposed the classification, labeling the research methodology as ‘misleading’ and the results ‘not representative’. It is noted that only 1.15% of respondents said they had flown with Wizz Air during that period.
In short
So are Wizz Air, Ryanair and Iberia three of the most popular airlines in Europe, and while the customer experience isn’t great, based on the Which? research it is relatively satisfactory. Again, you shouldn’t expect excellent service to pay for the equivalent of a meal on airline tickets.
Being budget airlines, they will naturally attract both fierce defenders and fervent detractors, and the latter is especially true for those who have had a particularly bad experience flying cheaply in Europe, be it due to mishandled luggage, flight delays or unhelpful staff.
This does not mean that you should expect the worst or that your own customer journey will fully reflect the results of this study, the results of which, as Wizz Air officials noted, may have been influenced by the underrepresentation of certain target groups.
The complete list of top performing airlines on European short-haul routes, ranked from best to worst based on Which?‘s findings can be seen below, along with their respective customer scores:
- Jet2: 81%
- Icelandair: 74%
- Norwegian: 74%
- Turkish airlines: 73%
- Logan Air: 72%
- Swiss: 71%
- Finnair: 68%
- TAP Portugal: 67%
- Aer Lingus: 66%
- Air France: 65%
- SAS: 64%
- Aegean Airlines: 63%
- KLM: 62%
- EastJet: 59%
- TUI: 59%
- Air Malta: 58%
- Lufthansa: 57%
- BA: 56%
- Vueling airlines: 53%
- Iberia: 49%
- Ryanair: 47%
- Wizz Air: 44%
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.
