"Thrilled" to be top again!

Thursday 19 December 2019

Aurigny has been rated the best "short haul airline" in a national survey carried out by consumer magazine Which? but some of the country's larger carriers have queried the results.

The survey ranked airlines based on customer responses to key criteria that can be rated including: customer service, value for money, punctuality, boarding, seat comfort, cabin environment and seat pitch.

The survey put Aurigny top, with Jet2 second, and SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Aer Lingus and Swiss making up the top five.

The bottom five saw TUI Airways ranked worst, followed by Wizz Air, British Airways, Vueling Airlines and Ryanair.

While British Airways has publicly queried those rankings, Aurigny's Chief Executive has said he is "thrilled" and that the airline prides itself on "providing our customers with the best possible experience".

Pictured: Aurigny's Chief Executive, Mark Darby.

“We are thrilled to be rated number one short haul airline in this Which? survey for the second year running," said Mr Darby. "This is a huge endorsement by our customers of what we do on a daily basis. We are a small community airline so to beat all the main players in this market to the top spot two years running is just fantastic. Our grateful thanks go out to all Aurigny customers who went out of their way and voted for us in this important poll.  

"The fact that this survey is ultimately determined by our customers is great, as we pride ourselves on service and providing our customers with the best possible experience.”

Pictured: BA, which flies to and from Jersey is querying the survey results. 

BA is among those leading queries over the validity of the survey results though.

The national carrier, which flies to and from Jersey, gained a customer satisfaction score of 55%, ranking in the bottom three carriers for both long and short-haul flights and beaten by budget carriers including EasyJet and Flybe (soon to be Virgin Connect).

“Our own data shows customer satisfaction scores have increased, and continue to increase, as we deliver our £6.5bn investment for customers on new aircraft, new food, new lounges and new technology,” the airline said.

Aurigny is owned by the States of Guernsey, and regularly hits the headlines for its financial position. But Mr Darby wanted to praise his staff for the airline's latest high ranking.

“Our staff are our biggest asset and our dedicated teams provide full customer support from booking to arrival at destination. The individuals that make up a community airline cannot be underestimated, and I would like to thank all our staff for their contribution in achieving this rating and putting Guernsey’s Aurigny on the global map.”