The world’s 10 most hated airlines have been revealed in a global study

LONDON — Flying commercially has never been a glamorous affair, but for passengers flying on American Airlines, the experience is particularly difficult. A new analysis identifies the airlines with the worst customer satisfaction worldwide The Dallas-based carrier tops the list, with passengers rating their experience dismal at 2.9 out of 10 and the airline recording 11 major safety and operational incidents.

These findings come at a time when frustrations with air travel reach new heights globally. About one in four flights worldwide arrive late, and more than 30 million bags go missing annually, creating a perfect storm of passenger dissatisfaction that many airlines seem unable or unwilling to address.

London-based Click Intelligence developed the Dissatisfaction Index by examining four key indicators of quality: passenger experience ratings on a scale of 1 to 10, ratings from Skytrax airline reviewers of 1 to 5 stars, standard search volumes for complaints, and safety records. Airlines received scores from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater passenger dissatisfaction.

American Airlines received a dissatisfaction score of 56 out of 100 in the rankings that examined major global airlines. Despite connecting travelers to 350 destinations around the world and carrying 211 million passengers annually, the airline recorded some of the lowest passenger experience ratings in the study. Its safety record has heightened passenger concerns, with 11 major failures representing the highest number among all carriers examined.

Budget carriers dominate complaints

Frontier Airlines, a low-cost airline, took second place with a dissatisfaction index of 55. Flying more than 33 million passengers annually across 105 destinations, Frontier managed the lowest passenger experience rating of any airline studied, at 2 out of 10. The airline also recorded five major incidents and received an average three-star rating from corporate reviewers. Aviation Skytrax.

United Airlines ranked third in customer dissatisfaction despite operating one of the most comprehensive networks among the carriers analyzed. With 173.6 million passengers flown annually to 373 destinations, United still can’t satisfy its customers, earning just a 3.3 out of 10 for passenger experience and three stars from Skytrax.

European and Asian airlines join the list

Air France landed in fourth place, featuring 11 significant safety and flight operations incidents, matching American Airlines for the most failures on record. The French airline, which serves 31.5 million passengers across 190 destinations, also struggled with baggage handling, showing the second highest rate of online searches for lost luggage with 281 inquiries per 100,000 passengers.

Irish budget giant Ryanair made the top five with a dissatisfaction index of 51. Despite flying 184 million passengers a year to 234 destinations, the airline scored just 2.8 for passenger experience while receiving just three stars from Skytrax.

Other airlines in the top 10 include AirAsia (6th), Aeromexico (7th), Scandinavian Airlines (8th), Wizz Air (9th) and British Airways (10th). The inclusion of British Airways proved particularly noteworthy given its prime location. The airline flies 46 million passengers annually across 200 destinations, receiving a passenger rating of just 6 out of 10 while recording 10 safety and operational incidents. British Airways also led all airlines in complaints about lost baggage, with nearly 320 online searches per 100,000 passengers.

When small problems become big injustices

According to James Owen, co-founder and director of Click Intelligence, airlines that consistently rank lower share a worrying pattern in how they handle service failures.

“The airlines with the worst customer satisfaction levels share a common pattern: They treat service issues as isolated incidents rather than connected experiences that lead to increased passenger frustration over time,” Owen said. “When an airline loses your bag, delays your flight, and then makes you wait for hours, every problem makes the others feel worse, turning minor issues into major injustices.”

Owen added that passengers judge airlines not just on whether problems occur, but on how airlines respond when they do occur. Airlines at the bottom of the satisfaction rankings have failed to understand this fundamental aspect of customer service, and continue to treat each complaint as a stand-alone issue rather than recognizing the cumulative impact of repeated failures on passenger confidence and satisfaction.