For many who fly, air travel in Europe can still feel like a bit of a gamble. You know, with those flight delays, sudden cancellations, and what feels like forever to get compensation if something goes wrong. The Flightright Index 2025 takes a good look at the 20 biggest airlines in Europe, checking things like how reliable they are, how fast they pay out, and if folks are happy with the service. The results? Well, some are doing a bit better, but a few are seriously lagging behind, which leaves passengers pretty frustrated.
Finnair, Vueling, and Ryanair Fall Short
In the Flightright Index 2025, Finnair (2.48 stars), Vueling (2.52 stars), and Ryanair (2.58 stars) ended up at the bottom. Interestingly, Finnair, which you’d think would be top-notch, is down there with the budget airlines Vueling and Ryanair. It kind of makes you wonder if paying more really guarantees a better experience. Finnair, in particular, had a terrible reliability score—only 1.5 stars! That means a lot of delays and cancellations, clearly an area where they need to improve. When it comes to paying out compensation, Vueling and Ryanair only managed 2 stars. Finnair did a little better with 3, but the bigger takeaway is that price doesn’t always equal quality. Even “premium” airlines in Europe can struggle to keep passengers happy.
Slow Compensation Payments Persist
One thing that really gets on people’s nerves is how long it takes to get paid back when flights are messed up. The Flightright Index checked how fast airlines are at processing compensation through their portal. The results were, shall we say, not great. Turkish Airlines, Vueling, and Ryanair each only got 2 stars for how they handle payments. Even airlines like Lufthansa and British Airways, which you would expect to be good at this, only got 3 stars. Discover Airlines was the bright spot, scoring a perfect 5 stars for fast payments!
Some experts have noted that things might be slightly improving when it comes to payment speed. But the general consensus remains that things are not great. Passengers often end up waiting months – or even years! – to get what they’re owed, which makes them feel ignored. Airlines really need to get their act together and make this process faster and easier for folks.
Customer Satisfaction Lags Behind
How happy people are with the service they get is super important, and it’s another area where airlines seem to be struggling. Flightright’s survey looked at things like how easy it is to get in touch with customer service, if they’re clear about what’s going on, and if they help out when flights are disrupted. None of the airlines got more than 3 stars. British Airways (3.15 stars) and Austrian Airlines (3.07 stars) did a little better, but even those scores are just okay. At the bottom, you’ve got easyJet (2.03 stars) and SAS (2.05 stars). These airlines really need to work on their customer service.
The fact that nobody is doing a great job here suggests that there’s a broader problem with how European airlines treat their passengers. Whether it’s being difficult to reach someone, not being clear about delays, or just not helping when things go wrong, airlines aren’t meeting people’s expectations.