Travel

British Airways and Ryanair slammed as worst airlines for cancelled flight complaints


British Airways and Ryanair have been ranked as the worst airlines to complain to about delayed and cancelled flights. A Which? survey revealed BA is the carrier most likely to leave customers disappointed when they complain about problems, with Ryanair a close second. Only one in seven British Airways passengers were satisfied with the outcome of their complaint, while three-quarters were left dissatisfied. However, BA passengers affected by disruption were able to find a member of staff at the airport in seven in ten cases.

While Ryanair fared better for general satisfaction in response to complaints, their passengers were least likely to be able to find someone at the airport to help them.

Sixty-three per cent of Ryanair passengers were left disappointed with the outcome of their complaint – considerably less than the disgruntled BA customers.

However, six out of 10 passengers with the Irish carrier said they found themselves unable to locate a member of Ryanair staff to help them at the airport.

easyJet ranked in third place in the survey, with 49 per cent of passengers disappointed with the response to delayed and cancelled flight issues.

In the survey, consumer site Which? collected details of more than 2,500 experiences from passengers who suffered delays and cancellations – finding out how they rated their airline’s immediate response and handling of any subsequent complaints or claims.

In almost half (44 per cent) of all cases, passengers said there were no staff at all available to help them – and even when airline employees could be found they were not helpful in one in five cases.

Only one in four people told Which? they were satisfied overall by the way their grievance was handled when they complained about a delay, while six in ten were left disappointed.

The passengers most likely to be given assistance by staff in the event of a delay or cancellation were those who flew with Emirates (74 per cent), Jet2 (73 per cent) and Virgin Atlantic (73 per cent).

Which? found that when airline staff were on hand to assist with inquiries, they were generally helpful – passengers said staff were obliging in 80 per cent of cases overall.

This was the case for BA customers who reported helpful staff in four out of five occasions, however, 18 per cent of passengers told Which? that the airline’s staff was not helpful.

Just over half (58 per cent) of Ryanair customers who manage to find a member of staff said that they found them helpful, while two in five found them to be unhelpful.

Norwegian Air and Jet2 staff were both deemed to be the most helpful overall (92 per cent).

Which? Travel’s Naomi Leach, said: “Our research shows that it’s not just the usual suspects who are letting their customers down with poor customer service – even British Airways is falling well short in dealing with complaints when flights are delayed or cancelled.

“With the potential for widespread disruption to summer holiday travel plans in the coming weeks, airlines must ensure they have the staff and resources to deal sensitively with passengers hit by delayed or cancelled flights.”

A British Airways spokesman told Express.co.uk in response to the survey: “We continually review and improve our customer service performance, and always aim to provide our customers with a satisfactory and speedy response to their complaints.

“Or social media team respond to enquiries 24 hours a day, and together with our contact centres and customer relations teams, provide assistance to tens of thousands of customers every week. We’ve now made it even easier for customers to receive assistance by launching a dedicated page on our website.”

Express.co.uk has contacted Ryanair for further comment on the Which? survey.

The research comes as airlines in London and across the UK have been forced to delay and cancel flights due to the heatwave. On Thursday 36.9C was recorded at Heathrow, making it the new July record for the UK.

Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports in London have all been impacted by the weather, with air traffic control experiencing problems at Heathrow.

A Heathrow spokesperson told Express.co..uk: “We are aware that NATS – the air traffic control service – is currently experiencing a technical issue with their systems that is affecting some airspace in the UK.

“Flights are currently arriving and departing at Heathrow, and we are supporting NATS to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We apologise to passengers for any disruption that occurs as a result.”

Heathrow also tweeted to apologise for any disturbance: “Extreme weather conditions across Europe have caused delays/cancellations at Heathrow & other airports. Please check with your airline before travelling. We’re sorry for the disruption & are working with our airline partners to keep passengers travelling.”



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