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17 Aug 2023

Best and worst budget airlines

You might think you know who the worst cheap airline is - but thousands of passengers told us it's not Ryanair

Trevor BakerSenior researcher & writer

Budget carrier Jet2 beat so-called premium airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM in our survey of more than 8,000 Which? members to find the best and worst airlines.

Jet2 passengers told us they received excellent customer service in a clean, comfortable cabin. They awarded it four stars for value for money, reflecting both the bargain fares and the quality you get. Our other recommended provider, Norwegian, also did well, with a string of four-star ratings - although it flies to far fewer destinations.

The rest of the budget airlines were not rated highly. Wizz Air pipped Ryanair to the bottom of the table. Passengers rated it just two stars for boarding, seat comfort, cabin environment and value for money.

Check our results below before you book with easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Tui or any of the other 'no frills' airlines.

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The best and worst budget airlines


RECOMMENDED PROVIDER Jet2	80%	66%	0.50%	28-31
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER Norwegian	75%	80%	0.60%	29-38
TAP Portugal	63%	71%	1.60%	28-31
EasyJet	59%	67%	1.30%	29
Tui Airways	59%	45%	0.30%	28-34
Vueling Airlines	58%	79%	0.60%	29-30
Eurowings	53%	74%	3.40%	30-32	-

Using the table: On-time : Percentage of all scheduled flights arriving into the UK within 15 minutes of time due, according to the CAA (Oct 2021 to Sept 2022) or cancelled within 24 hours of scheduled departure in the same period. Where airlines have both UK and EU subsidiaries the results for both are combined; Boarding: The boarding process – waiting time, queues, etc.; Food and drink: Range and quality of on-board catering; Customer service: On-ground and on-board staff; Customer score: Combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the airline. All ratings for economy class travel. A dash indicates too few responses for this aspect to give a star rating.

Verdicts

Jet2 review

Which? members gave Jet2 five stars for its friendly customer service and four stars for boarding, cabin environment, cleanliness and value for money. In a year when cancellations were a constant problem with airlines such as easyJet and Wizz, it also had a low last-minute cancellation rate of just 0.5%. Its holiday company, Jet2 Holidays, is also the highest-rated firm in our survey of the best and worst holiday providers. In short things are less likely to go wrong with Jet2, and if they do, you can expect excellent customer service to help you out.

Jet2 headline fares may not look as cheap as Ryanair, easyJet and other rival budget carriers, but in our previous price checks that included luggage and other extras, Jet2 has often come out cheaper.

Norwegian review

Norwegian's short-haul service ranked highly with our members who appreciated it for the cabin environment in its shiny, new fleet of planes and for its good value. It’s also the only airline in our group to offer free in-flight wi-fi. Despite the Nordic name, the airline flies to most of the popular holiday destinations direct from the UK, including popular cities and beach resorts in Spain, Italy, Greece and elsewhere.

easyJet review

More Which? members flew short haul with easyJet than any other airline. However, its position nearer the top than the bottom of our mini-table says more about the weaknesses of its rivals than its own strengths. It had a far higher last-minute cancellation rate than Jet2 or Ryanair - a problem that's continued in summer 2023. It also received two stars for boarding and seat comfort. It once offered a significantly more generous cabin baggage allowance than key rival Ryanair, but that's gone. Passengers did tell us that the customer service was better than with Ryanair or Wizz.

Tui review

Tui had a startlingly low punctuality rate of just 45% last year (Oct 2021 to Sept 2022). It might argue that this is partly because it also operates long-haul flights - unlike its rivals here. But it also received unspectacular star ratings for boarding, seat comfort, cabin environment and value for money - all just three stars. Its only plus point was a last-minute cancellation rate of 0.3% - the lowest in this table.

You don't need to be a Tui package holiday customer to fly with TUI, and it can occasionally offer very cheap deals on its airline fares to fill up empty seats towards the end of the holiday season.

Ryanair review

We've long been used to thinking of Ryanair as the worst airline to fly out of the UK. It consistently gets low customer scores and star ratings, and this year was no different. Seat comfort and food and drink were both just one star - worse than any of its rivals. However, last year it did at least have a lower last-minute cancellation rate than easyJet. It also got a better value for money and customer score than its mini-me Wizz Air.

Wizz Air review

In summer 2023 Wizz Air went on a charm offensive, asking passengers to trust it and promising that the failings of 2022 are a thing of the past. However, anybody who flew with it last year might need some convincing. It was our lowest-rated airline with poor punctuality and last-minute cancellation statistics. It had two stars for boarding, seat comfort and cabin environment - and a customer score of just 48%. If its plan was to beat Ryanair at its own game, with a 'no frills' service, this surely wasn't what it meant.