These are officially the UK’s best low-cost airlines — and the winners may surprise you

Whether it’s cramped space, the additional cost of hand luggage or unending delays, low-cost airlines can leave plenty to be desired.

However, their reduced fares are undeniably attractive to those looking to escape the stresses of daily life — once you escape the stress of the flight itself, that is.

For those seeking the best value for money, Skytrax’s World Airline Awards
compares carriers across the globe to determine the best of the best, with familiar names such as EasyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 making an appearance.

And if you’re wondering which budget airline in the UK you should choose for your next holiday, the results may shock you.

Ryanair triumphed over the other recognisable names in the competition and,
although technically an Irish firm, is the winning choice for Brits looking to get away for less.

Despite scathing reviews on TripAdvisor complaining of rudeness, delays and
misinformation (including one disgruntled user even writing, ‘I’m pretty sure the devil is running this company’) the airline, established in 1984, carried a whopping 181 million passengers in 2023. So clearly Satan’s doing something right.

EasyJet and Jet2 ranked closely to Ryanair despite losing out on the top UK spot, while globally, big UK names did rather poorly, with the aforementioned trio in the 60s out of 100 winning airlines.

Skytrax granted the bragging rights of first place to Qatar Airways, marking an unprecedented seventh win for the carrier, which also took home the award of ‘best business class’.

In second and third were Singapore Airlines and Emirates, with Asian and Middle Eastern firms dominating the top 10 along with categories like ‘best cabin staff’ and ‘cleanest airline’. Not quite budget, but British Airways represented the UK in at 13th overall.

But why did Ryanair triumph for UK passengers looking to travel for less? Well, one look at their website makes the appeal evident: flights as low as £20, customer testimonials in a stark contrast to online reviews, and even a fare finder to easily look up the cheapest journey (although the scope of this is quite limited).

As for the journeys themselves, it’s harder to say, but respondents to Skytrax’s survey – which analyses factors like crew hospitality, ease of booking, boarding efficiency and seat comfort – were certainly happy with their experience.

It seems not everybody agrees though, as recent Which? research gave Ryanair an underwhelming customer satisfaction score of 47%, putting the airline just below EasyJet who scored 59%.

Meanwhile, Jet2, the dark horse of the cheap flight competition which fared worst in the Skytrax ranking, was actually the recommended provider for a short-haul economy flight in the same survey, with a customer satisfaction score of 81%.

Skytrax may provide a good starting point for decisions on who to trust for travel, but ultimately they can only do so much and experiences of customers can differ from day to day, so it’s best to do your own research before making a decision.

Ryanair may have claimed victory over EasyJet this time, but the true winners are the holidaygoers who get to make new memories and relax in their chosen destination. As soon as their flight stops being continually delayed anyway.

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