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As UK holidaymakers gear up for a busy year of European getaways, a growing gap is opening between the low-cost airlines they fly most and the ones they actually trust, with Ryanair facing renewed criticism over customer experience while rival Jet2 strengthens its position as the go-to carrier for stress-free travel.
Complaint Data Puts Customer Friction in the Spotlight
Fresh analysis of UK Civil Aviation Authority dispute resolution figures has sharpened focus on how often passengers end up in formal battles to resolve flight problems. While Wizz Air now tops the ranking for complaints per passenger, Ryanair remains one of the most frequently disputed major carriers, underlining persistent dissatisfaction with how issues are handled when trips go wrong.
Recent data shows Ryanair generating 188 complaints per million passengers in regulator-backed schemes, well below Wizz Air’s level but still high for an airline carrying tens of millions of UK travellers a year. The complaints that reach this stage represent only a fraction of total grievances, suggesting a much wider pool of frustrated customers who either give up or accept vouchers and partial remedies directly from the airline.
Separate analysis of Civil Aviation Authority complaints covering 2024 painted an even starker picture of overall volumes, placing Ryanair at the top of the list by number of complaints lodged, with more than 30,000 cases in just three quarters of the year. That tally far exceeded its closest competitors, underscoring how often Ryanair passengers felt compelled to challenge the airline’s decisions on delays, cancellations, and baggage issues.
Industry observers say the figures expose a structural weakness in Ryanair’s customer proposition. Low fares continue to fill aircraft, but a business model built on strict rules, fees and digital-only contact channels appears to be driving a disproportionate share of the industry’s post-travel disputes.
Customer Service Culture Under Scrutiny at Ryanair
Behind the complaint statistics lies a wider debate about Ryanair’s approach to customer service. Travellers have long associated the carrier with no-frills cabins and rigid policies, but recent regulatory and consumer findings suggest that the friction increasingly begins before passengers even reach the airport.
Ryanair has been criticised by consumer advocates for complex booking journeys, an array of add-on charges for luggage and seating, and limited options for speaking to a human agent when problems arise. A widely cited consumer survey again ranked the airline at the bottom of the UK short-haul league table, awarding it the lowest scores for customer service, seat comfort and how it handled complaints, even as planes operated broadly on time.
The carrier’s stance on distribution has also raised questions about its customer focus. Italy’s competition authority recently imposed a large fine after finding that Ryanair pursued an abusive strategy to limit ticket sales via online travel agencies between 2023 and 2025, using technical barriers and contract clauses that made it harder for consumers to book its flights as part of wider travel packages. Regulators argued that the tactics reduced choice and complicated trip planning for passengers who prefer to bundle flights, hotels and transfers through intermediaries.
Ryanair rejects the notion that it mistreats customers, pointing to strong load factors, comparatively low complaint rates per passenger and punctual operations as evidence that its model works. Executives insist that tighter control over distribution and strict adherence to rules keep costs down, allowing fares that remain among the lowest in Europe. For many UK travellers, however, the trade-off between price and peace of mind is looking less attractive.
Jet2 Emerges as the Passenger-Friendly Alternative
While Ryanair grapples with its reputation, Jet2 has steadily carved out a contrasting identity built around reliability and human service. The leisure-focused airline and its sister tour operator have repeatedly topped independent customer satisfaction rankings, outperforming both low-cost rivals and traditional flag carriers.
In the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, Jet2holidays and Jet2.com were again rated among the country’s best-performing brands for service, with scores comfortably above both the tourism-sector and national averages. The research, based on tens of thousands of customer experiences, highlighted Jet2’s strength in emotional connection and ease of doing business, suggesting that passengers feel looked after throughout the booking and travel process.
Consumer group surveys have echoed those findings. Jet2 has been repeatedly named a top short-haul airline for overall customer score, and in a recent assessment of how firms are handling customer service, it achieved one of the highest ratings of any UK airline. Travellers singled out the ease of reaching staff, the clarity of communication when flights were disrupted and the perception that the airline worked to resolve issues rather than deflect them.
Independent review platforms tell a similar story, with Jet2.com attracting overwhelmingly positive feedback for friendly ground teams, attentive cabin crews and well-managed boarding. For families and older travellers in particular, that sense of being guided through the journey is becoming a decisive factor when choosing between carriers that may appear similar on price.
From Booking to Boarding: Two Very Different Experiences
The growing divergence between Ryanair and Jet2 is most visible in the details of the travel experience. At the booking stage, passengers describe Jet2’s website and app as straightforward, with clearer information about baggage allowances and seat selection. By contrast, Ryanair’s digital journey is often characterised by multiple prompts to add extras, with some customers complaining that it is too easy to make an error that later incurs fees at the airport.
On the day of travel, Jet2’s model is built around inclusive package holidays and coordinated ground handling, which tends to reduce the scope for disputes over boarding, check-in cut-off times and cabin baggage. Staff presence at UK regional airports, where Jet2 has expanded its bases and schedules, reinforces the impression of a hands-on operation able to respond when queues build or weather disrupts operations.
Ryanair’s operation is leaner and more transactional. It often relies heavily on automated processes, strict cut-offs and centralised call centres. This approach is efficient when everything runs smoothly, but it can leave passengers feeling abandoned when flights are delayed, aircraft are swapped or documentation rules change at short notice. In busy school-holiday periods, social media feeds regularly fill with accounts of customers struggling to obtain clear information or secure statutory compensation.
For UK travellers comparing options out of the same airports, these differences are increasingly hard to ignore. A slightly higher fare on Jet2 can translate into fewer surprises at check-in, less anxiety at the gate and a stronger likelihood of a swift resolution if something does go wrong.
Why UK Travellers Are Reconsidering Value
The shifting perceptions of Ryanair and Jet2 speak to a broader change in how UK consumers define value in air travel. After several summers marked by disruption, many passengers are placing a premium on reassurance, transparent pricing and responsive support, particularly when travelling with children or on once-a-year holidays.
Jet2’s strong financial performance over the latest financial year, driven by record passenger numbers and robust demand for package holidays, suggests that this strategy is paying off. The airline has expanded its UK footprint, adding bases and routes while maintaining service scores that sit near the top of national rankings. For tour operators and travel agents, it has become a default partner for sun and ski trips where reliability is paramount.
Ryanair, meanwhile, continues to dominate Europe’s low-cost market on volume and network breadth, and its fares will remain a powerful draw for budget-conscious travellers. Yet the combination of high complaint volumes, unfavourable consumer ratings and regulatory clashes over booking access has left it carrying reputational baggage that ever-cheaper tickets may struggle to offset.
For UK flyers weighing their options ahead of the next getaway season, the choice is increasingly framed not only as a matter of price but of probability: the likelihood that a trip will be straightforward, problems will be resolved quickly and a long-awaited holiday will not begin with a battle over terms and small print. On that measure, Jet2 currently looks far closer to the stress-free ideal many travellers now seek.