Data Shows Which Airlines Passengers Hate Most

Nearly one in four flights worldwide runs late, and over 30M bags go missing each year, underscoring why passenger dissatisfaction remains high across many airlines. A new study by Click Intelligence analyzed major global airlines to identify which carriers have the worst customer satisfaction rates.

The research developed an airline Dissatisfaction Index by examining four quality indicators: passenger experience ratings (scale of 1-10), evaluations from reputable carrier reviewer Skytrax (1-5 stars), normalized complaint search volumes, and safety records. Airlines were scored from 0-100, with bigger scores indicating higher passenger dissatisfaction.

American Airlines ranks first among the airlines with the lowest customer satisfaction and getting an index of 56. Connecting travelers to 350 destinations worldwide, the carrier posts one of the lowest passenger experience scores at just 2.9 out of 10. American Airlines also recorded 11 major safety and operational failures, the highest in the list.

Frontier Airlines takes 2nd place, getting a dissatisfaction index of 55. The first budget carrier in the ranking, Frontier, handles over 33M passengers a year on its 105-destination network, but delivers the lowest passenger experience rating at just 2/10. Frontier also fares badly in Skytrax rating, with 3 out of 5 stars, and 5 major incidents.

United Airlines holds the third position in customer dissatisfaction. The carrier transports 173.6M passengers annually to 373 destinations, giving it one of the broadest networks in the top ten. Yet its passenger experience remains underwhelming, with a score of just 3.3 out of 10 and a Skytrax rating of only 3 out of 5 stars.

Air France takes fourth place in customer dissatisfaction. The French flag carrier, which flies 31.5M passengers annually to 190 destinations, gets better reviews than United or Frontier Airlines, but had 11 significant incidents concerning safety and flight operations. The airline also often misplaces luggage, with the second-highest rate (281) of online queries about lost bags.

Ryanair is fifth among the worst-rated airlines for customer satisfaction, earning an index of 51. This budget carrier transports 184M passengers annually, operating 234 destinations. Despite its massive customer base, the Irish airline scores just 2.8 on passenger experience, while Skytrax rates it with a lower 3 stars out of 5.

AirAsia ranks sixth, getting an index of 50. The airline shares the same rating as Ryanair, earning 2.8 stars in reviews and 3 on Skytrax. At the same time, AirAsia is a much smaller airline than Ryanair, flying to 130 destinations and carrying 34 million passengers each year.

Aeromexico gets seventh position, with an index of 49. It is one of the smallest airlines on the list, travelling to only 89 destinations and carrying 24.7M passengers. Aeromexico had 6 major accidents in the past, and the reviews average a rating of only 3/10.

In eighth place is Scandinavian Airlines. The Nordic carrier flies 23.7M travelers annually to 150 destinations, but passenger satisfaction remains weak, with an average score of just 3.4 out of 10. Skytrax also rates SAS at only 3 out of 5 stars, while 3 major accidents were recorded for Scandinavian Airlines.

Wizz Air is ninth, earning a dissatisfaction index of 45. While not experiencing any major accidents, the airline has a low rating from passenger reviews with 3/10, and Skytrack ranks it as 3 out of 5. The airline carries 2 times more passengers than Air France or Scandinavian Airlines and travels to 134 destinations.

British Airways rounds up the top 10 airlines with the lowest customer satisfaction, getting an index of 43. Flying 46M passengers annually across 200 destinations, BA has a lower 6/10 passenger experience rating despite its premium status. The airline also had 10 safety and operational accidents and struggles with lost luggage, showing roughly 320 misplaced-baggage online lookups per 100K, the most of any airline.

“The airlines with the worst customer satisfaction share a common pattern: they treat service problems as isolated incidents rather than connected experiences that build up passenger frustration over time,” says James Owen, Co-founder and Director at Click Intelligence. “When an airline loses your bag, delays your flight, and then makes you wait on hold for hours, each problem makes the others feel worse, turning minor issues into major grievances. The carriers that consistently rank lowest have failed to understand that passengers judge airlines not just on whether things go wrong, but on how the airline responds when they do.”