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British Airways and ‘consistently terrible’ Ryanair voted worst airlines in new survey
One customer accused Ryanair of ‘treating passengers like cattle to be squeezed for the last penny’
In news that may surprise no one, British Airways and Ryanair have been named as the worst short-haul airlines in a new Which? survey.
The consumer champion surveyed passengers on their experience with a variety of short-haul airlines, including what they thought of the boarding procedures, cabin cleanliness, customer service and overall value for money.
It also asked people whose flights were disrupted during the pandemic how satisfied they were with the way their airline handled the issue.
Ryanair, which has ranked in the bottom three of the Which? survey for over a decade, was named as the worst short-haul airline with a customer score of just 55%.
@kevin_hackert / Unsplash
It also scored an unsavoury 47% in the refund satisfaction category, with one in five respondents saying it took them more than a month to get a refund.
One customer said on their experience: “Ryanair is the most awkward airline to deal with that I have ever come across. It seems to be proud of being difficult.”
Read More: Ryanair flight from Manchester makes emergency landing following reports of ‘fire on board’
Another accused the company of a total ‘lack of transparency about costs’ and ‘treating passengers like cattle to be squeezed for the last penny’. Three-quarters even named Ryanair as the airline they would ‘never fly with’.
British Airways, which once upon a time one of the most favoured airlines, didn’t fare much better in second-worst place with a customer score of 63%.
@isaacstruna / Unsplash
Passengers reported spending hours on hold only to be hung up on or passed between different departments, and slammed their customer service as ‘disappointing’.
Their food and drink, seat comfort and value for money were only given a two star rating, with one passenger even going to lengths to describe BA as ‘a budget style airline at premium prices’.
However, BA’s cabins ranked as joint cleanest alongside Jet2, which ranked as the number one short-haul airline thanks to its record on delivering refunds; more than eight in ten customers were satisfied with the outcome when their flight was disrupted.
Editor of Which? Travel Rory Boland said: “Ryanair’s consistently terrible customer service has made it a fixture among the worst performers in our surveys for many years – but the airline plumbed new depths with its handling of Covid refunds.”
@jannerboy62 / Unsplash
He added: “Many passengers will not forget how they were treated by companies during the pandemic. Covid could still cause disruption to international travel, so we would advise travellers to book with operators that have flexible booking policies and a record of treating their customers fairly.
“BA’s reputation also deservedly took a battering when it took a hard line on refunds for passengers who could not travel because they followed government health guidance.”
British Airways has since told The Independent: “We know we can do better and we’re working hard behind the scenes, upgrading our phone systems and recruiting more people to deliver a better and faster customer experience that we know our customers deserve.
“We never take our customers’ loyalty for granted and appreciate their patience as our teams work around the clock to support them.”
Ryanair is yet to comment on the survey.
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Dad accidentally buys 60 pairs of reading glasses
‘He thought the packaging was a little excessive’
A dad accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses after misreading an order.
The dad has gone viral on Twitter for his massive order of reading spectacles. He was left baffled as to why the parcel was so full when it arrived at his address on Sunday March 26th, leaving his son in stitches.
Tom Arnold, 61, from Perranporth in Cornwall, thought he’d only ordered one pack to share with his wife — not a whole shop’s worth. Radio and podcast host, Chris Arnold could not stop laughing as he witnessed his dad open the parcel with a bewildered look on his face.
The viral tweet read: “My Dad has accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses off the internet after misreading the quantity of his order.”
Speaking about the mishap, Chris said: “I just found it hilarious, he said he thought the packaging was excessive, then he opened it up and the box was full.
“He seemed confused as to what had happened. We looked at the order and he had ordered 12 packs instead of one, as they were for him and my mum, plus spares. The order came to over £100 but he’s managed to get a refund!”
He described the incident as ‘very funny indeed’, saying it ‘cheered up’ him and his family. As the tweet went viral and accumulated thousands of likes, Specsavers jumped in on the banter as they tweeted: “Do we even need to say it?”
Chris joked in reply: “At this point guys, I don’t think you do. P.S. Are you interested in buying 59 pairs of reading glasses off my dad?”
They hilariously replied: “If you can’t shift them you might want to consider adding an extra 118 eyes to your dad’s face.”
Specsavers tweeted an update on the situation: “The glasses have been safely returned, but Chris’ dad deserves a bit of good luck. How about a free eye test and a brand-new pair of glasses for good measure?
“You really should’ve gone to Specsavers.”
Aldi is now selling wearable sleeping bags for ultimate comfort — they even have arm and leg sections.
If you love to go to budget supermarket Aldi and have a wander over to the middle aisle, you’ll know you can find all sorts of handy and unusual things to buy.
Aldi shopper and TikTok user Paris de Jager sharedwith her followers how she picked up a wearable sleeping bag ‘onesie’, that even has leg and arm sections.
The social media user upload a video to her TikTok account @parisdejager showing her modelling the bright pink seasonal must have.
She wrote in a caption: “The sleeping bag one-z you never knew you needed until now.”
She ‘catwalked’ in her home as she showed off her incredible new bag suit by Adventuridge, looking ‘snug as a bug’.
Her video has racked up over 137k likes and many people were amazed at her incredible Aldi find.
Her followers flocked to comment and rave about the hot pink cosy number.
One said: “might just have to purchase for DofE.” Another added: “need for weekends.”
And a third joked: “Glastonbudget.” A fourth chimed in : “My reading outfit sorted.”
Aldi launched a similar wearable sleeping bag last year, and it weren’t long before the cosy suit sold out online.
You can purchase a wearable sleeping bag in time for festival season here.
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