The short-haul airline named the 'worst' according to…

The short-haul airline named the 'worst' according to UK passengers

Wizz Air has been named as the worst UK short-haul airline, according to new research.

A survey of over 8,000 travellers conducted by consumer site Which? found that the budget airline received a one-star rating for boarding, cabin environment and seat comfort, with Ryanair coming in second place. The Hungary-based carrier has expanded rapidly in recent years and offers direct flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh airport.

Data revealed Wizz Air to be one of the least punctual airlines, with just 56 per cent of flights arriving into the UK on time, with over two per cent of flights being more than three hours late.

While it imposes similar policies seen with Ryanair, like bag charges, check in and name change fees, the rival airline received a slightly better customer review, as it had fewer cancellations and more on-time flights.

Like its competitor, Wizz Air was also accused of having a less than helpful attitude when things go wrong, with almost half of respondents saying it had no staff available during delays. It received two stars in the survey in this area, while Ryanair got three.

Both airlines received just one star for seat comfort, although the seat pitch - the distance to the chair in front of you - was even less generous with Wizz Air – two inches smaller than on Ryanair.

Rival airline Ryanair came in second place with only slightly higher customer reviews. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Wizz Air told the Daily Record: “At Wizz Air, we do everything possible to ensure that passengers reach their destination on time and with minimal delay. We invest heavily into time performance, which is key to our ultra-efficient business model.

"A number of issues affecting the global aviation industry contributed to a worse time performance in 2022. These issues resulted from a widespread shortage in staff, in particular within air traffic control, ground operations and baggage handling, security and across airports.

"We are committed to constantly reviewing processes to mitigate these issues and are seeing an overall improvement in the on-time performance of our routes."

Other airlines that that were ranked as less than satisfactory include British Airways, KLM and EasyJet. You can see the top ten worst short-haul airlines below.