Top 10 Worst Airlines

The Top Ten

Ryanair

This airline sucks so much. The landings are very hard.
There are no seat pockets, which means they don't have any air sickness bags. The seats are nothing but cheap yellow plastic. They have enforced baggage check-in, very little legroom, and they don't even serve water.
This should be number 1 on the worst airlines list. How is this better than any of the airlines above? I would not recommend flying this airline. I hope this company flies into the trash.

Ryanair, like many other airlines, has pros and cons. The obvious one is the extremely cheap fare prices. However, I understand how some people may find this airline in particular to be rather unpleasant - especially if you're traveling longer distances.
For instance, the color of the cabin is unpleasant and hard on the eyes, and there are no seat pockets, so there's nowhere to store your items. (Good luck if you have motion sickness.) Plus, there is very little legroom, which makes sense since Ryanair is a no-frills airline. More often than not, they fly to obscure airports that are miles away from major cities - like London Stansted or Glasgow Prestwick.
I've also watched videos on YouTube and read news articles about fights breaking out, people getting drunk, stag and hen parties getting out of control, impolite staff, and an elderly woman being racially abused by the man next to her, after which she was the one forced to move seats. That situation was completely unfair to that poor woman.
Additionally, I think those hidden fees Ryanair is infamous for are a bit excessive. However, you can't complain too much because you get what you pay for - cheap fares equal cheap service. Ryanair is not a premium airline.
This airline might be okay if you're flying somewhere closer to home. But for longer trips, like to Tenerife or Malta, I recommend flying with EasyJet. Their service is pretty decent for a budget airline. By the way, I've never personally flown with Ryanair, so I'm only basing my opinion on what I've heard about them. Maybe one day, if I have the chance to fly with them, my opinion will change.
United Airlines

United Airlines, Inc. is a major U.S. airline headquartered at 233 South Wacker Drive in the Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the world's largest airlines, operating an extensive domestic and international route network that carries over 140 million passengers each year. United serves more... read more

In my opinion, this airline should be much higher on this list.
In June last year, they kept me stuck in Houston for nineteen hours on my way to Costa Rica and didn't even have a pilot available for the flight from Houston to San José. After our flight got canceled at midnight because the pilot had flown too many hours (nevertheless, they had the nerve to make us board the plane before the flight attendant told us that), they sent us to customer service, and they refused to serve us there for four hours!
While we managed to make it to San José the next day, they lost our bags. While not nearly as nightmarish of a story happened when we made our way back to the United States, our bags got lost again.
Air India

Air India is definitely the worst in Asia, if not the world. I, being an Indian myself, have never flown it and never intend to either. YouTube videos and Skytrax reviews are enough proof of this airline's incompetence.
Delays, a poor safety record, horrible service, rude crew - what more do you need for a major disappointment? For all the wonderful folks in favor of the airline, please fly it first. You're in for a treat (not).

It's the worst airline I have ever flown. The crew is so rude, and seriously, they smell a lot. I would suggest they start using deodorants.
Pakistan International Airlines

Worst airline I've ever flown, and I have flown a few on this list. Hostile flight attendants, seats that were falling apart, and smoking everywhere. Pakistanis were wandering around the cabin while I was told to stay seated.
It was cheap, I'll give them that, but I vowed never to fly them again.

It's terrible that this is the service that caused Junaid Jamshed to die. The pilot thought they could run the plane with one engine.
This is ridiculous, and my parents had to wait a few more hours because these people were late. Use Emirates or Singapore Airlines - those are way better than this.
Spirit Airlines

Worst air experience ever! No A/C on Flight 484 leaving Dallas. Four-hour late departure. Expensive baggage fees. Terrible customer service.
I would not be making these comments if Spirit would assume responsibility for their mistakes. I'm quite sure Spirit has heard many complaints from other passengers on Flight 484. The airplane was unsafe, and finally, after over an hour, we were able to change planes. We all had to sit in the plane in 95-degree Texas heat with no air conditioning for over an hour. It's illegal to keep an animal in these conditions.
For your safety and your loved ones, don't risk your lives with this airline. Obviously, they believe in profits over protecting their employees and passengers. I am a capitalist, and I strongly feel you can be honest and still profit honestly.
Allegiant Air

Worst airline in the world. Only PIA is the best. All others are the worst.

They break down four times more often than other airlines.

Awful. They don't care about safety at all.
Delta Air Lines

I've had terrible, terrible experiences with Delta. I've flown four times using this airline, and none were pleasant. It's a ridiculously horrible airline.
The last flight I had was exactly three years ago, from Africa to JFK to LAX. Our flight from Africa to JFK was great, but we stayed at JFK for about 26 hours. Then they told us to board the plane, and we went from terminal to terminal for about four hours until they told us to get out and stay at the airport for three more hours.
Yeah, great, wonderful rolls eyes.

I like Delta, but the only problem is the lack of entertainment options, and the food sucks.
I mean, coach sucks, but I'd rather get something from a restaurant before takeoff.
Air Koryo

It is dirty, owned by North Korea, and owned by Kim Jong-un. People clean the inside mid-flight. It is rated 1 star, is of poor quality, and has incidents. People make jokes that the airplane will crash. It is North Korea's national airline. WHY IS THIS NOT #1!?!?!

This should be number 1 because IT'S THE WORST AIRLINE EVER! Its safety record is only about 2 and a half stars, and its airline rating is 1! Kim Jong Un (the North Korean government) owns it.
Obviously, the worst thing about it is that it's North Korea's national airline. The airplanes are so dirty inside and out (especially their latest addition, the TU-204) that the flight attendants have to clean the plane's insides during mid-flight.
American Airlines

American Airlines is a major U.S. airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 1926, the airline operates an extensive network of domestic and international routes. It provides services including passenger flights, cargo transportation, and a frequent flyer program known as AAdvantage.... read more

I flew on one American Airlines plane with a nice, modern interior from STL to CLT.
After that, I had three old planes with power outlets under the seats or no USB/power at all. You'd think they would use nicer, more comfortable planes for five-hour flights, but I got a 737-800 from SJU to ORD, and my seat didn't recline.
Economy with American Airlines is a rip-off most of the time because the seats are equivalent to Southwest's but more expensive.

Everything is good.
Just don't expect your baggage to come out good and healthy.
Jetstar

So disappointed with Jetstar Pacific. Nobody cares about customers at all. Flights never come on time, never!
They changed the schedule four times for my flight today and didn't even inform me. You can't find any Jetstar Pacific workers in the airport, and they don't reply at the call center. Terrible. I didn't expect to stay all day in the airport. That's not what I was planning. So bad.

Shockingly unreliable. Don't expect to fly on the flight you booked. Don't expect to get where you are going anytime close to the scheduled time, day, or even in the same week.
And don't complain, because all you get is fake sympathy - no apologies, no explanation, no redress.

The Newcomers

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Hawaiian Airlines
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JetBlue Airways

The Contenders

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co., commonly known as Southwest, is a major airline based in the United States. It is the largest low-cost carrier in the world and is known for its affordable fares and customer-friendly policies. Founded in 1967, the airline operates an extensive domestic network and is headquartered... read more

Southwest is not a good airline. A lot of the staff don't care about their passengers.
They are also not a "cheap" airline. They are almost as expensive as legacy airlines. When I was 13, the pilot said to bump me and my siblings, who were all under 18, off the plane while my mother stayed on board.
Some of the staff also refused to help us last summer when we were stuck in Chicago overnight and didn't know what to do. They used the fact that our flight was delayed due to weather as an excuse not to help.
Southwest also raises their prices extremely high (up to $600 one way) for Spring Break, as early as eight months prior. This causes our family to drive three hours every Spring Break to be able to fly.
Southwest is also notorious for losing bags and bumping passengers.
Frontier Airlines

They need bigger tray tables and more legroom.
Flying Frontier at midnight out of Las Vegas is like this:
1. Frontier is so low on staff that the flight attendants arrived at the gate one hour later than the departure time.
2. The only people at the gate were the pilots and a guy whose speech no one could understand.
3. After this hassle, you want to sleep. Unfortunately, the seats are rock solid and don't recline.
4. After landing, the air bridge doesn't work, so your plane goes to the Southwest terminal.
5. Frontier tells you to go back to the Frontier terminal. When you get there, you discover your bags are located back at the Southwest terminal.
6. It is now 6:30 in the morning.
Frontier is made for shorter flights at lower fares.
EasyJet

easyJet is a British low-cost airline based in London and was founded in 1995. The company operates both domestic and international flights across Europe. easyJet focuses on affordable travel and has become one of the leading budget airlines in the region.

Ironic name, don't you think? What's so easy about no assigned seating, poor staff, and the airline going bust?

You get what you pay for - cheap seats, very little legroom, and no food or refreshments.

No assigned seating? What are you talking about?
Viking Airlines
Qantas

Yeah, this airline's safe, but it's SO unreliable! Over 70% of Qantas flights that my dad takes are delayed, some by over 90 minutes!
British Airways

British Airways is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. Founded in 1974, the airline offers both international and domestic flights. It is widely recognized as one of the world's leading airlines and focuses on delivering high-quality customer service. The airline has won... read more

I fly all over the world with many, many airlines. One hundred percent of my worst issues have been with BA.
First, the amount of time it takes to connect to BA flights in Heathrow is hideous. They say 45 minutes is the minimum connection time, but you need at least 90. Second, their baggage handling is notoriously bad. I've had multiple bags lost for more than five days each. Third, their customer service agents try to help, but they have no power and improper training.
Recently, I was in the boarding area for a flight that was very delayed. The agents kept telling everyone the plane would start boarding after the pilot completed security checks. However, anyone who looked out the window could see that one of the engines had been more or less taken apart, with pieces of it laying on the tarmac. Twenty minutes later, the flight was canceled.
Very bad. Finally, the in-flight service is really the worst. Bad food. Bad seats. Dirty planes. Very, very bad.
Republic Airlines
US Airways

Absolutely the worst! During the flight from SEA to ATL, our stewardess shared that the plane we were flying on had earlier been mothballed and taken to the California desert to be offloaded.
The plane was filthy. Some seats were broken, and the leather was torn. It smelled of burnt pizza and vomit and rattled like an old washing machine.

The flight attendants made me try to put two 60 lb, 2 ft wide suitcases in the storage space 4 ft above my head.
They also put me at the very back of the plane with someone I didn't know, while my parents were at the front of the plane. This happened when I was only 9 years old!
Vueling

Lost luggage, a poor website, poor customer service, and many more "attractions" wait for you.
Indian Airlines
Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is an international airline based in Hong Kong and was founded in 1946. The airline offers both passenger and cargo services to destinations around the world. It operates a modern fleet of wide-body aircraft and uses Hong Kong International Airport as its primary hub.... read more

I used them only once and never again. Their personnel has issues with Westerners, and they will constantly show you what they think of them unless you are Chinese. I fly several times a year to Asia and never had an issue with Asiana or Singapore Airlines. On that one flight with Cathay, I was humiliated several times by different employees.

The worst airline I have ever experienced. The plane was cancelled after passengers waited on the tarmac for more than three hours. There was no notification for an alternative airline. One of our pieces of luggage got lost. No compensation was made.
Air Berlin

Appalling airline.
I went on a recent holiday, and they lost my bags for two weeks. I eventually got them back one day before I left my destination country. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, they forced me to buy another flight and promptly booked me on the wrong (and very expensive) flight.
For the last two weeks, I have been trying to get this situation fixed. They asked me to fill out forms, which they have ignored, and have provided no guidelines for when they will contact me.
To top it all off, I politely asked to speak to the manager of the (rude) customer service person I last talked to, and she hung up on me!
Incredibly rude and disgraceful customer service. I will NEVER book a flight with this airline again. I hope no one reading this does either. It's just not worth it.
Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi. Founded in 2003, Etihad focuses on offering luxury travel experiences and has received multiple awards for its in-flight services. The airline provides various cabin classes to accommodate different passenger needs... read more
Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Singapore, with its primary hub at Singapore Changi Airport. It was founded in 1947 as Malayan Airways and adopted its current name in 1972. The airline is known for its high-quality service, award-winning inflight experience, and extensive international... read more

This airline is somewhat of an overrated brat. In my opinion, airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, ANA, and other competitors are by far ahead of them.
WOW Air