Data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has unveiled the most complained about airlines operating from the UK and top of the list may, or may not surprise you.
In the months from Mid 2024 to Spring 2025 the CAA says that it received over 43,000 complaints about UK airlines ranging from denied boarding and late operations through to lost luggage.
Topping the list was Hungarian ultra low cost carrier (ULCC) Wizz Air, which operates with a UK Subsidiary Wizz Air UK. With over 10,000 complaints the carrier the result meant that for every million passengers they carried, over 900 complained.
As almost half of all the complaints were upheld, Wizz Air was forced to pay almost £1.5 million in compensation to passengers.
Air France and Turkish Airlines made up the top three on the list with complaints totaling 301 and 265 respectively.
Holiday airline Tui Airways UK (TUI) came in 5th place with a total of 223 complaints being recieved of which only 20% were upheld. However the average award for those complaints was one of the highest in the list.
The next British airline in the list was British Airways (7th place) which received 192 complaints in that period, although their upheld rate was much higher with 83% upheld.
Irish budget airline Ryanair also featured in the top 10 sitting just behind British Airways in 8th place. The Dublin based carrier received 188 complaints in the period but on 28% of them were upheld.
Rival easyJet rounded out the top 10 with the low-cost carrier getting 147 complaints with just 18% of those upheld.
In response to the findings, Wizz Air said it was investing heavily in improving its performance and customer experience through its Customer First Compass Initiative, a £12.5bn investment.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “This investment is already delivering results. In 2025, our UK flight completion rate was 99.8% – one of the best in the entire industry, while our on-time performance also improved by 14.23% compared to 2024.“
| Airline | No of Complaints | Upheld Rate | Average Award |
| Wizz Air | 918 | 47% | £651 |
| Air France | 301 | 43% | £828 |
| Turkish Airlines | 265 | 51% | £718 |
| Egypt Air | 234 | 19% | £630 |
| TUI Airways UK | 223 | 20% | £722 |
| Air Baltic | 221 | 52% | £617 |
| British Airways | 192 | 83% | £837 |
| Ryanair | 188 | 28% | £694 |
| Air Portugal | 171 | 37% | £662 |
| easyJet | 147 | 18% | £630 |
So what are your rights to compensation?
If you are denied boarding or your flight is cancelled then you are entitled to compensation as follows.
| Length of flight | Length of disruptions | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| short-haul flight of under 1,500km (e.g. Glasgow to Amsterdam) | Arrive 2 hours or more later at final destination | £220 |
| short-haul flight of under 1,500km (e.g. Glasgow to Amsterdam) | Arrive less than 2 hours later at final destination | £110 |
| medium-haul flight of 1,500km – 3,500km (e.g. East Midlands to Marrakesh) | Takes off more than 2 hours before your original flight, and arrives 3 or more hours later at final destination | £350 |
| medium-haul flight of 1,500km – 3,500km (e.g. East Midlands to Marrakesh) | Takes off 2 hours before your original flight, and arrives less than 3 hours later at final destination | £175 |
| long-haul flight of over 3,500km (e.g. London to New York) | Arrive 4 hours or later at final destination | £520 |
| long-haul flight of over 3,500km (e.g. London to New York) | Takes off less than 1 hours before your original flight, and arrives less than 4 hours later at final destination | £260 |
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