World’s 10 Most Hated Airlines Revealed in Global Study

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LONDON – Commercial flying has never been a glamorous affair, but for American Airlines passengers, the experience seems particularly difficult. A new analysis identifying the airlines with the worst customer satisfaction in the world has placed the Dallas-based carrier at the top of the list, with passengers rating their experience a dismal 2.9 out of 10 and the airline recording 11 major safety and operational incidents.

These findings come as air travel frustrations reach new heights globally. Nearly one in four flights worldwide arrive late and more than 30 million bags go missing each year, creating a perfect storm of passenger dissatisfaction that many airlines are unable or unwilling to respond to.

London-based Click Intelligence developed a “dissatisfaction index” by looking at four key quality indicators: passenger experience ratings on a scale of 1 to 10, Skytrax Airline Rater ratings rated 1 to 5 stars, standardized complaint search volumes and safety records. Airlines were given scores ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater passenger dissatisfaction.

American Airlines received a dissatisfaction score of 56 out of 100 in the ranking, which examines the world’s major carriers. Despite connecting travelers to 350 destinations worldwide and carrying 211 million passengers annually, the airline posted some of the lowest passenger experience scores in the study. Its safety record added to passenger concerns, with 11 major failures, the highest number of any carrier examined.

Budget carriers dominate complaints

Just behind American Airlines, budget airline Frontier Airlines came in second place with a dissatisfaction index of 55. Carrying more than 33 million passengers annually to 105 destinations, Frontier had the lowest passenger experience rating of any airline surveyed, just 2 out of 10. The airline also had five major incidents and received a mediocre rating of three stars from airline reviewer Skytrax.

United Airlines ranked third in customer dissatisfaction, despite operating one of the most extensive networks among the carriers analyzed. Flying 173.6 million passengers annually to 373 destinations, United has consistently failed to satisfy its customers, earning just a 3.3 out of 10 for passenger experience and three stars from Skytrax.

European and Asian carriers join the list

Air France comes in fourth place, standing out with 11 significant incidents related to safety and flight operations, equaling American Airlines for the number of breakdowns recorded. The French national carrier, which serves 31.5 million passengers across 190 destinations, has also struggled with baggage management, posting the second-highest rate of online searches for lost luggage, with 281 queries per 100,000 passengers.

Irish budget giant Ryanair rounds out the top five with a dissatisfaction index of 51. Despite carrying 184 million passengers a year to 234 destinations, the airline only scored 2.8 for passenger experience and received just three stars from Skytrax.

Other carriers in the unfortunate top 10 include AirAsia (sixth), Aeromexico (seventh), Norwegian Airlines (eighth), Wizz Air (ninth) and British Airways (tenth). The inclusion of BA was particularly noteworthy given its premium positioning. Carrying 46 million passengers a year to 200 destinations, the carrier achieved just a 6 out of 10 passenger rating while recording 10 safety and operational accidents. British Airways also leads all airlines in lost baggage complaints, with around 320 online searches per 100,000 passengers.

When small problems become big grievances

According to James Owen, co-founder and director of Click Intelligence, airlines consistently ranked at the bottom share a troubling trend in how they handle service outages.

“Airlines with the most satisfied customers share a common pattern: They treat service issues as isolated incidents rather than connected experiences that accumulate passenger frustration over time,” Owen said. “When an airline loses your bag, delays your flight, and then makes you wait hours on hold, each problem makes others feel worse, turning minor issues into major grievances.”

Owen added that passengers judge airlines not only on whether problems arise, but also on how carriers respond when they do. Airlines at the bottom of the satisfaction rankings have failed to grasp this fundamental aspect of customer service, continuing to approach each complaint as a stand-alone issue rather than recognizing the cumulative effect of repeated failures on passenger trust and satisfaction.