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Swiss on a roll but Ryanair comes last in popularity list

By Luke Byrne

RYANAIR has dismissed a survey by consumer magazine ‘Which?’ that found it was the least popular short-haul airline.

The survey questioned passengers who travelled in the 12 months to October this year and found that the low-fares carrier had a satisfaction score of only 34pc.

It ranked bottom of the table of 16 airlines which was topped by Swiss with a satisfaction score of 82pc.

But Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara, in a tongue-in-cheek response to the findings, said the airline’s passengers were “far too busy flying all over Europe on our low fares to fill in silly surveys”.

A spokeswoman for ‘Which?’ said there would be no comment on Ryanair’s statement.

She said the survey was based on 5,000 responses.

Swiss also secured a maximum five-star score in a number of rating categories.

These included check-in process, baggage allowance, seating allocation and airline staff.

Second in the table was Turkish Airlines with a score of 78pc, with German carrier Lufthansa third, Aer Lingus fourth and KLM fifth.

Only airlines which received at least 30 responses in the period were considered.

Charges

Ryanair received by far the greatest number of responses of any airline, with 563.

Swiss’s results were based on 59 responses, Turkish Airlines on 38 and Lufthansa on 74.

Of Ryanair, ‘Which?’ said: “We were inundated with comments about Ryanair, many about its extra charges.

“This partly accounts for the paltry one-star ratings for baggage allowance, boarding arrangements, seat allocation and food and drinks.”

– Luke Byrne