Stay away from these airports

The latest rankings from passenger rights group AirHelp have named UK budget carriers Thomas Cook and easyJet the world’s worst airlines.

European carriers made up more than half of the top 20 worst carriers among the 72 rated airlines.

Airlines were ranked on on-time performance, quality of services and claims processing, external reports and passenger reviews.

Joining Thomas Cook and easyJet at the bottom of the list were Kuwait Airways, Korean Airlines, Ryanair, Norwegian and Laudamotion.

Topping the charts were Qatar Airways, American Airlines, Aeromexico, Scandinavian Air Services and Qantas.

“The 2019 AirHelp Score proves that airlines with higher passenger satisfaction provide more than consistent punctuality,” said AirHelp CEO and co-founder Henrik Zillmer.

“We need to keep in mind that airlines are dealing with a new type of traveller: educated, increasingly aware of her needs and rights, and able to choose between a broad range of air carriers.

“It means that even those airlines which cannot keep their punctuality high have a chance to keep passengers connected to their brand by providing a positive after-flight service when their travel plans go wrong.”

Airport ratings were determined by on-time performance, quality of service and food and shopping options.

Of the 132 airports analysed, Eindhoven Airport in The Netherlands; Kuwait International Airport; Lisbon Portela Airport in Portugal; Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest, Romania, and Malta International Airport were the worst five.

Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar; Japan’s Tokyo Haneda International Airport and Athens International Airport in Greece were the top three.

“AirHelp found that customers enjoyed the best experience at Hamad International Airport in Doha, which has ranked within the top three airports since the first AirHelp Score ranking in 2015,” AirHelp chief Henrik Zillmer told YourLifeChoices.

Perth Airport was rated as Australia’s best airport (No.26 overall), followed by Sydney Airport (65) and Melbourne Airport (76).

“Perth Airport in WA is ranked as the top in Australia for on-time performance (8.3 out of 10), while air passengers are very pleased with the service quality (8.2) and it ranked 26th in the AirHelp global ranking. On behalf of AirHelp, I commend Perth Airport for offering travellers a good experience, including the recently upgraded international terminal and a new integrated domestic terminal,” said Mr Zillmer.

Worst airlines

1. Thomas Cook Airlines
2. easyJet
3. Kuwait Airlines
4. Korean Air
5. Ryanair
6. Norwegian
7. Laudamotion
8. Transavia
9. Aerolineas Argentinas
10. Adria Airways

Best airlines

1. Qatar Airways
2. American Airlines
3. Aeromexico
4. SAS Scandinavian Airlines
5. Qantas
6. LATAM Airlines
7. WestJet
8. Luxair
9. Austrian Airlines
10. Emirates

Best airlines by region

• Asia: Qatar Airways
• Europe: Austrian Airlines
• North America: American Airlines
• Oceania: Qantas
• Scandinavia: SAS Scandinavian Airlines
• South America: American Airlines

Worst airports

1. Lisbon International Airport, Portugal
2. Kuwait International Airport
3. Eindhoven Airport, Eindhoven, Netherlands
4. Henri Coanda International Airport, Bucharest, Romania
5. Malta International Airport
6. Manchester Airport, United Kingdom
7. Paris Orly Airport, France
8. Porto Airport, Portugal
9. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Canada
10. London Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom

Best airports

1. Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar
2. Tokyo International Airport, Japan
3. Athens International Airport, Greece
4. Afonso Pena International Airport, Curitiba, Brazil
5. Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport, Poland
6. Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia
7. Singapore Changi Airport
8. Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, India
9. Tenerife North Airport, Spain
10. Viracopos/Campinas International Airport, Campinas, Brazil

Have you flown with any of these airlines or visited any of these airports? How was your experience? Which is your favourite airport or airline?

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