A recent YouGov survey: Self-serve highlights which airlines have been rated safe to eat with, and which are British jet-setters most worst choice, in accordance to snacks, drinks and full meals.
The biggest airlines in the UK have been ranked by which is tastiest and which is the most stomach-churning.
A recent YouGov survey called Self-serve has shown where the best-known airlines rank when it comes to snacks, drinks and meals provided. Questioning 1,495 British jet-setters who have flown with the UK’s nine most popular airlines, the survey found that Emirates and Qatar Airways are closest to tourists’ hearts on the stomach-filling front.
Emirates has soared ahead in the snacks and drinks ranks, with an impressive 84 percent of its fliers rating them “very” or “somewhat” good, with 43 percent selecting “very good”. A close second, at a total of 83 percent, is Qatar Airways, and Virgin Atlantic coming in third with an accumulated 74 percent of positive reviews.
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Of the UK-based airlines, British Airways ranks highest (and fourth overall), with 61 percent of positive snack- -and-drink reviews. However, it is noteworthy that the majority of this data was only rated “somewhat good”. Jet2.com (53 percent) and TUI Airways (50 percent) follow, making up the top half customer satisfaction.
Unfortunately for companies like easyJet and Wizz Air, good feedback dwindled drastically with the former achieving 35 percent and the latter a lowly 25 per cent. Ryanair came in ninth – and last – place with 21 percent of passengers rating its snacks and drinks as good, and over four out of ten (41 percent) considering them ‘bad’.
A similar trend can be seen in the second part of the survey, which focuses on meals. With Emirates, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic maintaining their spots, the highest rating for an in-flight meal was 85 percent. Following Emirates, Qatar Airways was awarded 82 percent and Virgin Atlantic achieved 73 percent of positive feedback.
British Airways increased its previous rating by two percent for its meals, gaining 63 percent but Ryanair’s only worsened with the lowest mark of the entire survey: 17 percent! With half of its fliers labelling them as below par. Just this month, TripAdvisor received a slew of terrible reviews for the airline, most of which targeting the shocking service or surprising luggage costs slapped onto customers last minute.
In November last year, Ryanair came last in airline reviews, with the Mirror reporting 624 negative comments on its food and drinks. This appears to not be a new development as customer Maria asked “why is the food so bad!!” back in 2018. She wrote: “We usually pack a lunch for our flight. In this case, we didn’t and I ordered the fresh sandwich which was turkey and stuffing. It was truly awful and cost me €5. I couldn’t finish it”. Rating it one out of five, she continued, adding: “This is not only an issue with Ryanair, but with other low cost airlines. It must be as easy to source good food as [it is] bad. I really don’t understand it”.
A year later, in a piece called ‘Plane awful: the worst airline meals revealed‘, Ryanair was exposed for its “breakfast abominations”. It described how passenger Billy Shearer suffered from his Irish breakfast order, calling ‘the perfect option to fill up and start your day with’ a false advertisement.
The photo showed a “monstrosity of soggy potato waffle, shrivelled button mushrooms and congealed white pudding”. The website also declared the airline to be the “only carrier to receive a terrible one-star rating for its food”.
Comparatively, Emirates has been applauded for its “shockingly good” meals. A blog review published in 2020 spoke of one person’s surprise when receiving a nutritious full meal an hour after take-off. She recalled: “It was, dare I say, good! There was a pasta salad with peas and cheese; a roll; cheese and crackers; and a chicken entrée. The chicken was shockingly tender with a flavourful sauce that wasn’t too salty, coupled with boiled potatoes and simple steamed veggies. Dessert consisted of a chocolate dish with layers of mousse, brownie, and ganache that was decadent and tasty.”
The same blog released another Emirates review in July, last year, on a flight from JFK airport, USA, to Milan, Italy which shared a slight change in quality. Though the quantity provided for as filling and varied as before, the writer noted her surprise at finding the main meal overly salty, but the snacks as “delicious” as always.
Ryanair has been contacted for comment.