British Airways see a decline in their public image according to Which survey

British Airways, who are owned by International Consolidated Airlns Grp (LON: IAG) have seen a decline in their public perception in the most recent public survey.

The former flag carrier was ranked third bottom short haul airline operator, two plans above rival Ryanair (LON: RYA).

British Airways were named the best short haul airline in 2015, but has seen a decline in public ratings according to the survey conducted by Which.

The business dropped another two places this year, ahead of speculation about how the firm can improve its services.

On an overall customer score basis, Which said BA scored 55% on short-haul, only 1 percentage point behind last year, and 55% on long-haul, not far behind the 58% it scored last year. Ryanair’s score actually rose to 44% from 40%.

A spokeswoman from British Airways contested the findings. “Our own data shows customer satisfaction scores have increased, and continue to increase,” she said.

Ryanair was seen to be the worst short haul airline the consumers had engaged with, which saw a repeat of its 2018 performance. Rival easyJet (LON: EZJ) who are another budget airline came mid table.

A notable performance came from Jet2, who were one of the best performers in the short haul category.

Holiday makers made complaints about Ryanair charging extra fees for add-ons and luggage, while they gave BA low scores for the quality of its food and drink, the comfort of seats and general value for money.

BA will see this report and raise caution about their performance in the airline industry, where competitors such as Wizz Air (LON: WIZZ) are notably expanding their routes, and reporting increased passenger numbers across 2019.

BA have seen their reputation hit following strikes and political action in September, which caused thousands of flights to be cancelled.

It was noted that 6,535 members completed the survey in 2019 and the results will give BA a reason to review operations and turn fortunes around.

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