Is Jetstar really the worst airline in the world?
Low-cost carrier Jetstar has been named the worst airline in the world according to a new international study.
In a survey of more than 70 carriers, angry passengers have listed flight delays, boarding times, in-flight staff and quality of meals as their biggest bug-bears with Jetstar.
Travellers also listed ‘cost transparency’ as another issue they had with the Qantas-owned budget carrier.
"With Aussies being slugged with excessive cancellation fees, a lack of redress when flights are delayed and cancelled, and other unfair terms and conditions it is little wonder companies like Jetstar see their ratings plummet when it comes to customer satisfaction,” said Tom Godfrey, the head of media at Choice.
"It's time our airlines stopped flying below the radar when it comes to consumer protection."
The research carried out by Choice we released after a survey was carried out with over 11,000 passengers encompassing Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Portugal, Brazil and Spain.
One in three Jetstar passengers reported flight delays, with the average hold up being almost four hours.
The highest-ranking Australian airline was Qantas, earning three stars and a spot at number 36.
This was a long way from the top five-star airlines, which included Emirates, Avianca and Qatar Airways respectively.
TigerAir was omitted from the survey however as the sample size was deemed too small.
Jetstar fired back at the survey questioning its reliability as a true gauge of customer feedback.
"There are a lot of holes in this latest Choice survey, including leaving out our main competitor Tiger because they didn’t collect enough responses, so the veracity of the report is questionable," Jetstar said in a statement.
“Choice seem to enjoy criticising airlines without understanding the safety standards we operate to, or recognising the role of low cost carriers in making travel more affordable for millions of Australians,” the statement continued.
American company United Airlines – which is in the midst of an ongoing PR crisis – ranked higher at 49th.
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