BA questions survey accuracy as Aurigny crowned top airline

Thursday 19 December 2019

BA has questioned the accuracy of a new Which? survey that proclaimed Channel Islands carrier Aurigny a top airline, while it nosedived to the bottom of the rankings.

Published this morning, the consumer magazine’s ‘Best and Worst Airlines’ list was based on analysis of 6,500 readers’ travelling experiences.

Overall, BA gained a customer satisfaction score of 55%, ranking in the bottom three carriers for both long and short-haul flights and beaten by budget carriers including EasyJet and Flybe (soon to be Virgin Connect).

Pictured: BA was beaten by EasyJet and Flybe.

Among the key issues were complaints about food and drink. Two in five said it wasn't worth the money on short-haul economy, while one BA customer even complained of "warm wine in a plastic glass". Others said they didn't get a chance to sample the food because it ran out before the trolley reached the end of the plane.

The finding comes after a chaotic 12 months for the airline once known as "the world's favourite", which suffered a year of strikes, cancellations and a £183m fine after hackers stole the data of around half-a-million customers.

It was a success story for turboprop operator Aurigny, however, which was number one for short-haul flights. It scored five stars across boarding, cabin environment and customer service.

With an approval rating of 82%, Aurigny was followed by Jet2 (79%) and SAS Scandinavian Airlines (74%).

Pictured: Aurigny got an approval rating of 82%.

The score put the airline, which is owned by the States of Guernsey, a short distance from long-haul and overall winner Singapore Airlines (88%).

The positive results come despite a turbulent year for Aurigny, whose predicted £9.6m losses for 2020 have drawn national interest.

In October, it was also subject to a bid by Guernsey politicians to force it off the Southampton and Jersey routes, which was later grounded.

Aurigny’s Chief Executive, Mark Darby, said the airline was “thrilled” about its ranking.

“This is a huge endorsement by our customers of what we do on a daily basis. We are a small community airline so to beat all the main players in this market to the top spot two years running is just fantastic. Our grateful thanks go out to all Aurigny customers who went out of their way and voted for us in this important poll. 

“The fact that this survey is ultimately determined by our customers is great, as we pride ourselves on service and providing our customers with the best possible experience.”

Pictured: Aurigny Chief Mark Darby.

He added: “Our staff are our biggest asset and our dedicated teams provide full customer support from booking to arrival at destination. The individuals that make up a community airline cannot be underestimated, and I would like to thank all our staff for their contribution in achieving this rating and putting Guernsey’s Aurigny on the global map.”

BA, meanwhile, took the opportunity to question the survey’s legitimacy.

“Our own data shows customer satisfaction scores have increased, and continue to increase, as we deliver our £6.5bn investment for customers on new aircraft, new food, new lounges and new technology,” the airline said.