worst

A passenger survey has found the short-haul airline that was ranked as the lowest for its overall customer satisfaction, including for the boarding process and value for money

The airline with the worst customer satisfaction in the UK has been revealed, and it’s not Jet2, Wizz Air or easyJet.

In a lot of circumstances, the airline we fly with can depend on the most affordable ticket available at the time of booking, with competition rife among major budget airlines like Jet2, Wizz Air, Ryanair, and easyJet for short-haul flights. But depending on the airline we choose for our journey, it can severely impact our overall travel experience, from the booking and boarding processes to the customer service onboard.

Now, an annual customer satisfaction survey of more than 5,500 travellers by Which? found that Ryanair was the worst-performing short-haul airline.

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A Ryanair spokesperson told the Mirror: “Neither we nor our 208m passengers pay any attention to these made-up manufactured surveys or their fake results. Every passenger booking a flight has a choice and last year 208m consumers chose Ryanair, while nobody reads or pays any attention to Which? fake surveys.”

In the Which? ratings, Ryanair secured a mere one star for seat comfort, while it scored two out of five stars for its booking process, boarding, customer service and cabin environment.

When it comes to value for money on short-hauls, the airline earned a three-star rating, the same as easyJet and Wizz Air, but fell behind carriers, Jet2, Lufthansa, TUI and Aer Lingus. Overall, Ryanair received a customer satisfaction score of 55 per cent in the short-haul survey and ranked bottom on a list of 24 airlines. Just in front of Ryanair on the customer survey, with a total score of 59 per cent, was Wizz Air.

The budget carrier, which had 259 passengers included in the Which? survey, received two stars for its booking process, boarding, customer service, and cabin environment. However, it was awarded three stars for its value for money.

A Wizz Air spokesperson also shared: “Once again, Which’s survey relies on a tiny sample size. It surveyed 259 people, which is only 0.002% of the 12 million passengers carried on our UK flights in 2025. No credible organisation can claim that such a sample is representative.

“Our strong passenger numbers – which rise every year – clearly show that travellers value WIZZ’s low prices and industry-leading operational performance. We’re continuing to deliver against the commitments outlined in our £12 billion Customer First Compass initiative. From October 2024 to December 2025, customer satisfaction rose by eight percentage points. At the same time, our flight completion rate in the UK was 99.7% – consistently among the best in the industry – while our on-time performance increased by 14% year-on-year.

“This year, we look forward to welcoming even more passengers on board Europe’s youngest and most modern fleet, taking advantage of our low prices on our biggest ever summer leisure network to many new destinations in Spain, Greece, and France.”

In stark contrast, Jet2 topped the list with 76 per cent, receiving a four-star rating for its booking process, customer service and value for money. One customer said: “Compared with other budget airlines, they give you a generous luggage allowance, which makes such a difference.”

Have you had a complaint-worthy flight? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

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Feb. 18 (UPI) — White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett on Wednesday said that employees at the New York Federal Reserve should face punishment for publishing “the worst paper I’ve ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve System.

The research published Feb. 12 concluded that most of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs are being paid by U.S. businesses and consumers. The authors said 90% of the costs are being passed on, though it acknowledged that the effect had dropped slightly as the year went on.

In an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, called it an “embarrassment” and said of the four authors, “the people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined.”

He argued that tariffs are responsible for a higher standard of living.

“Prices have gone down. Inflation is down over time,” Hassett said. “Import prices dropped a lot in the first half of the year and then leveled off, and [inflation-adjusted] wages were up $1,400 on average last year, which means that consumers were made better off by the tariffs. And consumers couldn’t have been made better off by the tariffs if this New York Fed analysis was correct.”

Harvard Business School, Yale’s Budget Lab, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Congressional Budget Office have published similar findings, Politico reported.

“Our results imply that U.S. import prices for goods subject to the average tariff increased by 11% … more than those for goods not subject to tariffs,” the paper, written by Mary Amiti, Chris Flanagan, Sebastian Heise and David E. Weinstein, said. “U.S. firms and consumers continue to bear the bulk of the economic burden of the high tariffs imposed in 2025.”

Hassett was on Trump’s short list for Fed chair, but Kevin Warsh was chosen.

A SAUCY Valentine’s Day strip model Abbey Clancy had planned for her hubby Peter Crouch was dashed when he invited a chef to their home to cook for them.

The 40-year-old dressed in skimpy underwear and covered up with a mac, intending to make a big reveal.

But she was forced to swelter under the coat when the former Liverpool, Spurs and England striker arrived with the chef.

Abbey said: “That was the worst surprise ever because I got a gorgeous outfit from Agent Provocateur and just put it on with a coat on top.

“And Pete was like ‘Surprise! We’ve got a chef’.

“So I had to just wear my coat for the whole dinner — at home.

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“I had to wear my coat for the whole meal in my own house.

“And I was literally sweating because I was so worried.”

Asked if she was in a Burberry Mac, Abbey said: “Yeah, I was.

“That was highly embarrassing.

“And he kept asking ‘Aren’t you hot in that coat?’”

Peter, 45, eventually cottoned on to why Abbey would not remove her coat but by then was helpless to ask the chef to leave because it would have appeared rude.

He said: “He wouldn’t go away as well.

“You know when they come over and they want to explain the meal.

“It’s like ‘p*** off mate, will you’.”

Mum-of-four Abbey said Valentine’s nights indoors can be romantic too and couples should not feel pressure to always have a great meal out on February 14.

She added on their Therapy Crouch podcast: “That is nice, to stay in.”

It was not the first time Abbey had tried to woo Peter using the same tactic — although last time she was a bit more successful.

In November 2003 she told The Sun how she lured Peter home from training by picking him up in a car while wearing only a Burberry mac.

He said her teasing tactic “worked very well” — but that he is also very easily pleased.

Peter said: “It’s easy to surprise me.

“If I came home and you had no clothes on, it’d be the best surprise ever.

“It’s so simple and I’ll be so happy.

“I’m just being honest.”

WATFORD may not be top of your staycation bucket list, especially after it was named one of the UK’s worst big towns.

Ranked poorly by The Telegraph, it was slated for its its ‘concrete centres and bad vibes’.

They might not like it, but as a local – I’m 30 mins down the M1 from there – I feel the need to jump to its defence.

I look at the town with an air of nostalgia because – believe it or not – some of the highlights of my childhood were spent in Watford.

In my teens, it was the closest thing to an action-packed city we had, unless we wanted to trek into London, which quite frankly was a cost my pals and I didn’t want to incur, plus our parents all worried about our safety in the big smoke. 

Days were spent at the Harlequin shopping centre, which had all the top high street shops but without the London crowds. Mum would take me here in early school years to buy new shoes from Clark’s.

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I’d watch the Disney movies in shoe heaven while mum and the shop assistants liaised over styles and measured how much my tootsies had grown.

I spent weekends as a season ticket holder watching Watfords now distinctly average football team play on its home turf, stopping for chippies to celebrate (or commiserate) post game.

When I turned 17, my pals and I graduated from the shops to the clubs and bars.

In the 2000s party glory days, we’d grab our glad rags and the tallest platform heels we could find, starting at Vodka Revolutions where shots were cheap as chips, then heading on to one of the mega clubs like Oceana or Area (both now gone).

We wouldn’t walk between venues, instead we’d hop on a bicycle tuktuk, just like the fairy-light clad ones you find in London, only cheaper. 

Top Golf was another cherished activity at the weekends.

The experience is still there today, home to a lively bar and several putting stations.

You don’t have to be good at golf to play, the aim of the game is to whack the balls into targets laid out on the vast green ahead.

Admittedly, I don’t visit Watford as frequently nowadays as most of my time is spent either close to my office in London Bridge, or my hometown, when I’m not off travelling the world.

But it still holds a charm nonetheless. And well worth a visit.

For starters, the is where the UKs leading Harry Potter attraction is, Warner Bros Studio Tour.

Potter fans will be blown over by what’s on offer here and you can pick up some wizarding treats seen on screen and read in the books, like butterbeer, before getting a first hand look behind the magical scenes seen on screen.

Don’t forget to pull a squealing mandrake out of the dirt and explore the Dursley’s house in Privet Drive.

There’s a decent restaurant scene now, too.

Humo is a great option for meat lovers with grubs scorched over an open flame.

The shopping is still decent – and less busy than those in London!

And little kids can take advantage of a Vue cinema and pottery painting while older ones test their nerve at indoor go karting or ninja warrior adventure.

So even if Watford is a little rough around the edges and not the prettiest place to look at, it’s still got it perks. 

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Were you ready for some non-football consumerism? Ready or not, the Super Bowl’s annual blitz of commercials landed before and during the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots defense-first matchup, with some ads served up in advance while others were unveiled for the first time during the game. As in previous years, there were serious clunkers (looking at you Bud Light rolling keg ad), but also a few that transcended their buy-more mission (may you live forever, Melissa McCarthy). Other trends we noticed: celebrities double dipping to appear in more than one Super Bowl commercial (three if you’re Sofía Vergara), lots of borderline-gross humor (exploding heads, singing clumps of shaved body hair, singing toilets and plenty of ads trying to convince America that artificial intelligence tools aren’t a waste of time and energy).

While many of this year’s ads promoted AI and the usual rah-rah-America nods to patriotism, one trend we noticed was that the longer versions for some of the best Super Bowl ads, found online, were even better than the condensed cuts that made it to broadcast. What if next year, we make the Super Bowl three quarters and the commercial breaks 15 minutes long? Any takers?

While we wait for that brilliant idea to make it to the NFL’s offices, here are the big game ads we loved the most and a few that fumbled the ball — big time.

After a newspaper ranked the city bottom in a list of Britain’s best cities, Fiona Whitty went to check it out to see if some of the criticism it receives it fair

Southampton is many things to many people. Now Britain’s biggest cruise port, it’s where the Titanic set off from on its doomed maiden voyage. It boasts a thriving student community, with all the cool bars and fun places that an unending stream of young people brings.

And it has some of the UK’s best-preserved city walls, which remind you of the strategic importance the city once held. And on the arts front, it’s home to the largest theatre in the south outside of London, with a bumper programme of West End offshoots.

But sadly, not everyone thinks it has much to offer. The Daily Telegraph recently gave it just 1/10 in a ranking of the UK’s 20 biggest cities, placing it last. After spending a weekend there with my 20-year-old daughter Rosie, I think they’ve got it badly wrong.

The city is buzzing…with cocktails, culture and cuisine for starters. Rosie and I kicked off with a cocktail masterclass at 1932, a classy bar that’s ‘hidden’ behind unmarked doors and accessed via a buzzer, giving it a speakeasy feel.

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Once a bank that opened in – yes, you guessed it – 1932, it’s decked out in sleek art deco-style with golden statue lamps and lattice patterns. Drawing on its heritage, its imaginative bespoke brews, designed by bar manager and mixologist extraordinaire Amy, all have a financial theme.

To begin with, Amy invited us behind the bar to whip up a Cash Money – a creamy mix of rum, coconut, mango and passionfruit jiggled together à la Tom Cruise in a traditional cocktail shaker. Next up was a Platinum Card, created to emulate rhubarb-flavoured Squashies with vodka, rhubarb and banana liquors – this time stirred together and drizzled over ice. Blank Cheque, meanwhile, with gin, Campari, and Lillet Blanc aperitif, had a tantalising hint of Aperol about it.

Rosie and I loved the novelty of mixing behind the bar and the cocktails tasted divine – unique yet perfectly formed. A cocktail masterclass costs £40 with 1932.bar.

Afterwards, we headed to Hokkaido, a hip Japanese restaurant that’s popular with everyone from young couples to families to groups of friends. There we were transported to the Land Of The Rising Sun with a hearty feast that included prawn tempura, fried tofu and chicken, vegetable gyoza and a variety of sushi that tasted every bit as amazing as it looked.

With the city spread out along the Channel and enormous cruise ships often in dock, you can’t escape Southampton’s 1,000-year-old maritime heritage. Not only was it the starting point for The Titanic’s stricken voyage in 1912, it’s also where The Mayflower ferried the Pilgrims over to America nearly 300 years earlier.

On the Titanic front, a brilliant exhibition at the SeaCity Museum offers an absorbing account of how the disaster unfolded, killing around 1,500 of the 2,200-plus passengers and crew on board. A mock courtroom, recounting parts of the British Inquiry that followed, is particularly fascinating as you get to hear the real-life words of witnesses being quizzed and of the judge’s verdicts. Entry costs £14, but book in advance for a 10% discount.

The Titanic Trail, which starts outside, leads you around memorials and points of interest – like The Grapes pub, where several seamen lingered too long before departure and were refused entry to the ship, thus saving their lives. Strolling around we saw Southampton’s old city walls, built to help defend the key port after a surprise attack by French soldiers and Genoese mercenaries nearly 700 years ago. You can discover more at an exhibition at God’s House Tower – once a city entry point and now a museum and art gallery – while the onsite café with excellent coffee and delightful apple buns is perfect for a breather. General entry is free, but the exhibition costs £5.

Southampton is easy to get to, with half-hourly trains from London Waterloo taking just 75 minutes with South Western Railway. Our base was voco Southampton, a stylish IHG hotel on the waterfront. Our sixth-floor twin room offered views across the city’s cruise terminal, where ships docked and car ferries unloaded.

But the real highlights were the super-friendly staff…and the fabulous Atlantic Gate restaurant. With banks of windows flanking the sea, the restaurant has a chilled yet stylish ambience and a stand-out seafood-heavy menu. Over a couple of voco’s superb cocktails – the champagne spritz with rum and coconut was a particular hit – we tucked in to fish soup with whole mussels and prawns, fried mixed seafood and a monkfish, prawn and coconut curry, all simply delicious.

Massive theatre fans, Rosie and I often watch a show when we’re away because tickets are generally cheaper than at home in London, while performances remain just as exciting and professional. The Mayflower – a real Southampton stalwart and, London aside, the south’s biggest – didn’t disappoint.

Dating back to 1928 and now grade-II listed, it’s hosted greats like The Beatles, Queen and the Rolling Stones and still oozes warmth and charm with original chandeliers, sleek cornicing and ornate boxes. Today it attracts the UK’s top comedians, ballet troupes, opera stars, and West End-standard touring productions like Matilda and Six.

A sister theatre nearby, MAST Mayflower Studios, offers yet more. Southampton ticked our boxes for history and culture – and food. The Real Greek, tucked into the side of Westquay shopping centre, was the perfect sassy lunch spot. Thanks to small plate favourites like hummus, tzatziki, Greek salad, and courgette fritters alongside tender grilled aubergine in a smoky tomato sauce and a pork gyros, we enjoyed a smack of summer – helped, no doubt, by the gorgeous Greek sangria with white wine and vermouth.

For our final port of call, we retreated to a batting cage… for the UK’s first interactive baseball experience. 1st Base has given baseball a social makeover, allowing friends or families to bat against each other in a safe and fun game bar environment.

You take it in turns to enter a cage and hit the balls propelled from a machine, while computer technology measures your strike rate and speed. As novices, Rosie and I started slowly but soon picked up the knack and loved the competitive yet relaxed feel to it. Elsewhere, shuffleboard, table tennis, and electronic basketball provided a change of pace – as did the pizza and drinks that are available alongside the action (tip: the dark ‘n’ stormy rum cocktails are out of this world).

No curveballs here – as far as I’m concerned, Southampton has all the bases covered.

GET THERE

A return from London Waterloo to Southampton costs from £44 with South Western Railway. For discounts on food, theatre, and attractions when you travel on their network, check out swr-rewards.com.

BOOK IT

B&B for two in a twin or double room at the voco Southampton starts at £115 per night. See vocohotels.com/southampton.