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The best (and worst) short-haul and long-haul airlines for 2025, ranked

Passengers have told the consumer website Which? about their experiences on more than 9,000 flights – the rankings have officially landed

Liv Kelly
Written by
Liv Kelly
Writer, Time Out Travel
British Airways plane in Santorini, Greece
Photograph: Lichtwolke / Shutterstock.com
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Airlines vary enormously, whether it’s by price, legroom, the in-flight menu or the breadth of their network, and customer experiences of each one can vary loads, too. 

That’s why a survey by consumer website Which? usually comes in pretty handy. The platform has just revealed what came from speaking to passengers about more than 9,000 flights across a whole host of operators, where people were asked to rate (out of five) factors such as cabin cleanliness and customer service to their boarding and booking experiences. 

Topping the ranks for the best short-haul operator was Jet2 which had a 92 percent approval rating for its booking experience, cancelled just 0.2 percent of its flights within 24 hours or less of departure and was popular for including cabin bags in the ticket price.

Singapore Airlines was named the best long-haul operator, and, along with Etihad and Emirates which round out the top three, the website described it as a ‘stand out for fabulous service, sleek, modern cabins and decent food and drink.’

At the other end of the scale, Ryanair ranked as the worst short-haul operator as it got a mediocre value-for-money score (and we’ve reported before that it’s one of the worst airlines for hidden fees), and British Airways not only ranked as the worst long-haul operator, but also featured in the bottom five for short-haul services, too. 

These are the best short-haul airlines for 2025

  1. Jet2
  2. Logan Air
  3. SAS Scandinavian Airlines
  4. Norwegian
  5. Aegean Airlines

These are the worst short-haul airlines for 2025

  1. Ryanair
  2. Wizz Air
  3. Lufthansa
  4. TAP Portugal
  5. British Airways

These are the best long-haul airlines for 2025

  1. Singapore Airlines
  2. Etihad Airways
  3. Emirates
  4. Qantas
  5. Virgin Atlantic

These are the worst long-haul airlines for 2025

  1. British Airways
  2. Air Canada
  3. Malaysia Airlines
  4. American Airlines
  5. Aer Lingus

Did you see that this Korean airline is the world’s best in 2025?

Plus: This beautiful southeast Asian country is getting a brand-new airport

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