Many people who have flown Ryanair, including myself, complain about the cramped cabin and the never-ending sales talk. They also moan about all the additional charges the airline comes up on a regular basis which end up making the “low-cost” price not really so cheap.

Which? just ran its annual survey to find the best and worst short-haul and long-haul airlines serving the UK. Ryanair once again topped the “worst” list for short-haul airlines, as it has done for six years now.

Which? Annual survey reveals the best and the worst airlines

Participants in the survey run by Which?

had to rate the various airlines by boarding, comfort, seats, cabin environment and refreshments. Ryanair received a customer “approval” rating of 40 percent. The 7,901 participants were also asked which airline they would never fly with again and 70 percent of them picked Ryanair.

The Independent quotes one participant as saying Ryanair has “too many rules” and regulations, adding that they were always worried about getting hit with “hidden costs.”

Pilot and cabin crew strikes affect Ryanair passengers

Ryanair is the largest airline in Europe and experienced a difficult year in 2018, with pilot and cabin crew strikes affecting tens of thousands of passengers and ruining their holidays.

On top of this, the airline refused to pay passengers any compensation for the cancellations and flight delays. They claimed what they termed “industrial action” leading to “extraordinary circumstances” made the airline exempt under European law.

However, they soon got into trouble with the Civil Aviation Authority, who didn’t agree with Ryanair’s claims.

It threatened the airline with “enforcement action.”

Ryanair policy changes

The airline caused problems for its passengers twice in the last year by changing their baggage policy. The new rules led to passengers being forced to pay extra to be able to take a larger piece of hand luggage into the plane or a baggage charge check in extra luggage.

They also charge extra for priority boarding, which many families prefer to use.

The BBC quotes a Ryanair spokesperson as saying the survey didn’t reflect the airline’s success. According to them, passenger numbers have increased by 80 percent in the last six years. The spokesperson also claimed their website, ryanair.com, was the most visited airline website in the world. They added that those facts make it clear that customers want more than just a survey involving around 8,000 people.

All the airlines rated in the Which? survey can be seen below.