As an EA or PA, you need to know which airlines to book your executives and teams on. You may be surprised by the results of a recent survey which asked travellers who they trust…
Ryanair tops the list of the least trusted airline
The budget airline Ryanair is revealed as the least trustworthy airline by Brits, with 7.95% of people losing trust in the brand or stopping booking travel with them in the past six months. Only 24.5% of people say they are ‘likely’ to use Ryanair in the future, but a whopping 50.3% say it is ‘very unlikely’ that they will use it in the future.
Ryanair’s model is built upon ultra-low base fares, but add-on charges soon add up with cabin bags, seat selection, and priority boarding, which can sometimes double the base flight price, and with strict bag size rules, many people feel the real price of a flight isn’t transparent enough.
Cost is by far the biggest factor driving consumers away. Around 26% of respondents who have lost trust in a brand say high prices are the main reason.
Reliability is is a key considerations for EAs and PAs
Like many airlines, Ryanair faces frequent delays and disruptions, but data reveals that in 2025, Ryanair was the most delayed airline in the world, with 29% of its flights delayed, accruing the most hours of delays from its 3,800 daily flights.
Ryanair‘s TripAdvisor reviews shine a light on their lack of trust, with a score of only 2.5/5, with in-flight entertainment scoring 1.5/5 but value for money scoring 3.5/5. Reviews commonly mention their no-frills service, strict rules, and bad press, which will likely deter travellers from the brand. Recent bad press includes Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary calling for early morning pints to be banned from airports as the airline battles with increasingly rowdy passengers, with Ryanair reportedly diverting an average of almost one flight a day due to bad behaviour onboard, further creating bad sentiment that Ryanair is more suited to party travellers rather than families.
Need to know as an EA and PA: British Airways is the second least trusted airline by UK travellers
Following in second place, with 6.1% of people losing trust or stopping use in the past six months, is British Airways. Unlike Ryanair, almost half (49.2%) of Brits have mentioned that they will be ‘likely’ to use British Airways in the future, and 28.7% of people say it is ‘very unlikely’ that they will use them in the future.
Similarly, British Airways also suffers from severe disruptions and reliability issues with many delays and flight cancellations, so badly so that in 2023, 2.3% of its flights out of the UK were cancelled, impacting 4,033 take-offs, much higher than the industry average of 1.4%. The airline has battled with severe tech problems and inadequate staffing levels, where a computer system failure in 2017 impacted 75,000 passengers and disrupted 1,000 flights.
Customer service flaws are often reported with long wait times for support and difficulty in resolving issues, especially regarding refunds or compensation when flights are cancelled or delayed. Customer service issues are often where trust is broken, not the problem itself, but how a company handles it.
British Airways scores 3.0/5 on TripAdvisor, ranking high in legroom, comfort, cleanliness, and check-in and boarding, all scoring 3.5/5 but falling short with in-flight entertainment, value for money, and food and beverage, all scoring 3.0/5. One-star reviews state issues with reliability and consistency as well as an “overall lack of communication” regarding delays.
On third place of least trusted airlines by UK travellers is easyJet
Closely behind with 6.05% of Brits losing trust or stopping use in the past six months, easyJet customers are increasingly losing faith in the budget airline. 40.5% of Brits have mentioned that they will be ‘likely’ to use easyJet in the future, and 35.5% of people say it is ‘very unlikely’ that they will use them in the future.
Last year, 29% of easyJet flights were delayed. Early May 2026 has seen easyJet issue a statement to passengers with flights booked across Europe that the new European Entry/Exit System (EES) may cause passengers to be delayed, and the airline may not be able to wait for delayed passengers, causing stress and anxiety for future travellers over fears of being stranded.
easyJet scores 3.0/5 on TripAdvisor, ranking high in customer service, value for money, cleanliness, and check-in and boarding, all scoring 3.5/5 but falling short for in-flight entertainment, scoring 1.5/5.
Virgin Atlantic scores slightly better, holding onto the fourth place
Virgin Atlantic lands in fourth with 5.10% of Brits losing trust or stopping use in the past six months, 29.4% of passengers would ‘likely’ use Virgin Atlantic in the future, and 42.2% of people say it is ‘very unlikely’ that they will use the airline in the future.
Alongside the common delays, customer service struggles, and the high costs of the airline, trust was tested when the Advertising Standards Agency recently banned a promotional advert from Virgin Atlantic concerning the first long-haul commercial aircraft to fly across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel. This was deemed as misleading as listeners believed the flight had no negative environmental impacts, whereas the sustainable aviation fuel produced the same level of CO2 emissions during the flight as traditional jet fuel. This misleading advert was very likely to damage consumers’ trust.
Virgin Atlantic Airways garners a 4.0/5 rating on TripAdvisor with consistently high scores of 4.0/5 for comfort, customer service, and onboard experiences. However, complaints include premium upgrades not deemed as worth it, lack of compensation after cancellations or delays, multi-day flight cancellations, and substandard seating quality.
Trust on airlines increasingly driven by value and experience
While 11% of respondents cite negative press or scandals, they are far more influenced by direct, personal experience.
With over 30% of trust loss linked to customer service and quality issues, and price being the dominant factor, consumers are placing greater emphasis on tangible value.
As one respondent put it, “it just does not feel worth it anymore”, a sentiment that captures the broader mood of caution and reassessment among UK consumers.
Richard Hunt, Director at Liquidation Centre comments:
“People are not expecting perfection, but they do expect fairness. If prices go up, they want to feel the quality and service still justify it. When that balance disappears, trust goes with it, and once that is lost, it is very difficult to win back.
What this shows is that consumers are paying much closer attention to the everyday value they are getting. Small frustrations add up over time, whether that is higher prices, poorer service or just feeling like standards have slipped. Brands that stay consistent and deliver what customers expect will come through this, but those that do not risk losing people for good.”
Flexible charter flights should be in every EA’s and PA’s black book as the fully flexible and trustworthy option when you really can’t afford delays.
