Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air named as worst airline second year in row

One thousand and six hundred claims were filed against Wizz Air in the UK regarding outstanding refunds. Photo / Artur Vodznenko

A survey of over 10,000 UK flights has named - and shamed - the best and worst airlines flying internationally. Poor performance and unpaid refunds have landed one carrier bottom again.

The Hungarian Wizz Air was determined to be the worst choice of economy airline for a second year by passengers polled, with poor performance and £1.24 million ($2.53m) in unpaid refunds to passengers.

In October Which? polled passengers on 10,755 international flights for flight satisfaction.

The annual survey pits airlines against one another on a variety of factors, including on-time records, cancellation rate and customer score.

While Wizz had an abysmal 44 per cent passenger satisfaction score, it was Lufthansa that dropped to the bottom of the long-haul league table.

The German flag carrier had a satisfaction record of just 56 per cent, with a high 2.5 per cent last-minute cancellations contributing to this. Despite having a far better on-time record than Australians Qantas (at just 44 per cent), Which?’s respondents were unimpressed by Lufhansa’s in-flight catering and comfort.

Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, was top of the 17 long-haul with no recorded last-minute cancellations, top scores for food and drink and one of the most generous economy seat pitch at 81-86.4 centimetres.

Wizz Airlines, however, earned its place at the bottom of the table after ongoing disputes with customers.

“Incredibly, 44 per cent of passengers reported having some kind of problem – more than any other airline in our survey,” said Which’s survey report.

Last year the UK’s Civil Aviation Agency says it launched legal action against the carrier after “failure to meet passenger rights obligations”.

In March passenger Ryssell Quirk sent bailiffs to the airline’s London Luton headquarters to reclaim almost $9000 in unpaid refunds after the carrier had failed to reimburse Quirk seven months after cancelling his family holiday to Portugal.

German airline Lufthansa suffered several major disruptions last year at their Frankfurt hub. Photo / Michael Probst, AP

Worst short-haul economy airlines

1. Wizz Air: Score 44%, on-time 63%, cancellations 1.20%
2. Ryanair: Score 47%, on-time 62%, cancellations 0.80%
3. Iberia: Score 49%, on-time 85%, cancellations 1%
4. Vueling: Score 53%, on-time 75%, cancellations 1.10%
5. British Airways: Score 56%, on-time 61%, cancellations 3.30%

Worst long-haul airlines

1. Lufthansa: Score 56%, on-time 68%, cancellations 2.50%
2. Air Canada: Score 58%, on-time 57%, cancellations 1.30%
3. British Airways: Score 59%, on-time 61%, cancellations 3.30%
4. American Airlines: Score 59%, on-time 76%, cancellations 0.60%
5. Air France: Score 60%, on-time 71%, cancellations 0.90%

Source: Which? Best and worst airlines for 2024