Fashionable plane, comfy seats and unflappably nice flight attendants.
These are components many rankings think about in figuring out the world’s greatest airways.
However they overlook a vital factor, in response to the passenger rights firm AirHelp — how airways deal with clients when issues happen.
“We consider that an airline needs to be assessed not simply by how they deal with their passengers throughout enterprise as normal, but in addition by the consideration they present clients when issues go unsuitable,” the report said.
To compile its annual “AirHelp Rating,” the group evaluated 83 airways primarily based on punctuality, buyer opinions, and the way effectively they deal with clients’ compensation claims.
Every issue was weighted equally within the scoring, mentioned Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO at AirHelp.
The perfect and worst airways of 2023
Primarily based on knowledge from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 2023, these are the airways that topped the 2023 AirHelp Rating:
1. Qatar Airways – 8.38
2. Eurowings – 8.27
3. LOT Polish Airways – 8.11
4. Etihad Airways and All Nippon Airways – 8.09 (tie)
6. Austrian Airways – 8.07
7. American Airways – 7.97
8. China Airways – 7.92
9. Wideroe – 7.89
10. United Airways – 7.88
Qatar Airways has topped each “AirHelp Rating” rating since 2015 — however one. In 2016, the Doha-based airline fell to No. 2, behind Singapore Airways.
Thiago Prudencio | Sopa Photographs | Lightrocket | Getty Photographs
The ten lowest-scoring airways on AirHelp’s 2023 listing are:
1. Tunisair – 4.12
2. British Airways – 5.03
3. Frontier Airways and Pegasus Airways – 5.18 (tie)
5. Czech Airways – 5.20
6. Air Canada – 5.68
7. Spirit – 5.69
8. TAROM and Azores Airways – 5.71 (tie)
10. Air Austral – 5.77
Qatar Airways has topped each “AirHelp Rating” rating since 2015 — however one. In 2016, the Doha-based airline fell to No. 2, behind Singapore Airways. In 2022, it tied for the No. 1. spot with Etihad Airways, Pawliszyn advised CNBC Journey.
The 2023 full listing will be discovered at AirHelp’s web site.
Greatest and worst airways for passenger claims
The 5 airways that scored the very best on compensation declare processing alone — which evaluates how airways deal with claims (“Do they ignore or wrongfully reject claims?”) in addition to response and payout occasions, are:
China Airways and Brussels Airways – 8.2 (tie)United Airways, SAS Scandinavian Airways and airBaltic – 8.1 (tie)
Stranded passengers crowd an airline counter at Changshui Worldwide Airport in Kunming, China on Jan. 4, 2013.
Str | Afp | Getty Photographs
These faring the worst when it comes to claims decision are:
British Airways – 1Gulf Air – 1.4Czech Airways, Aircalin and Vietnam Airways – 1.7 (tie)
British Airways might have positioned final on account of being understaffed, mentioned Pawliszyn.
“As one of many largest and hottest airways, they in all probability deal with a big load of claims,” he mentioned.
In response to CNBC Journey’s request for remark, British Airways said: “We’re working exhausting to enhance our response occasions … We have recruited an additional 1,500 new colleagues to assist and launched new automated expertise to resolve simpler claims sooner, with the overwhelming majority of instances resolved inside seven weeks.
The airline added that greater than half of excellent instances relate to EU compensation claims which take time, as a consequence of checks that have to be carried out.
Prime airways in different classes
Highest on-time scores: Eurowings and Oman Air
Highest buyer evaluate scores: All Nippon Airways, Garuda Indonesia and Emirates
Singapore Airways, which tops most main airline rankings, got here in at No. 26 on the listing, dragged down by a declare processing rating of 5.4. One other extremely regarded airline, Emirates, ranked No. 24 on the listing for a similar purpose.
Claims processing is ‘essential’
AirHelp advised CNBC it makes use of its personal knowledge to observe how nicely airways course of buyer claims for compensation.
The group “helps passengers declare compensation following delayed or cancelled flights beneath a number of worldwide air passenger rights laws together with EC 261 in Europe and ANAC 400 in Brazil,” he mentioned.
“Examples the place a passenger might be able to make a declare are flights on a European airline the place the passenger arrived over three hours late at their vacation spot, or a flight that was canceled by the airline lower than two weeks earlier than departure.”
He mentioned claims processing is important as a result of it immediately impacts passenger satisfaction and an airline’s total operational effectivity.
“Swift resolutions over claims like misplaced baggage, flight disruptions, or different inconveniences might stop passengers from choosing one other airline for his or her future journey plans,” mentioned Pawliszyn. “It is essential for sustaining a optimistic status and buyer loyalty.”