Ryanair’s cheap flights have ranked bottom in the Which? annual short-haul airline survey for the sixth year in a row.
Of those who said there was one airline with which they’d never travel, 70 per cent named Ryanair and Which? reported that no other airline came close.
Much of this year’s frustration is likely to have fixated on Ryanair’s cancellations in 2018 when it refused to pay its passengers compensation and ultimately the Civil Aviation Authority had to step in. Most travellers will not have been able to claim on their travel insurance because the strikes had been announced in advance. Nevertheless, travel insurance could still be an important purchase to protect against other incidents beyond your control.
Some 28% of Ryanair’s revenue last year came from its infamous paid add-ons. This was the same period in which Ryanair changed its baggage policy three times, leading to confusion and paranoia amongst its customers. One passenger told Which?: ‘There are too many rules. I worry about getting caught with hidden costs.’
“Airfares might seem to be getting cheaper, but only if you don’t fancy sitting with your family and children or taking even a small cabin bag on-board,’ said Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor. Increasingly you need a calculator to work out what the final bill will be, especially with Ryanair.’
“It has spent the last two years cancelling thousands of flights, ruining hundreds of thousands of holidays and flouting the rules on compensation as well. The results of our survey show passengers are fed up. They should switch to one of their rivals, who prove that budget prices don’t have to mean budget service.”
