Your experience at the departure gates is likely to be telling of your flight ahead, or at least set the tone for the journey. Chaos at the gate and unfriendly staff does not bode well for your flight experience, while clear, helpful communication and accommodating gate agents can be promising signs for a smooth, stress-free ride.

That’s why it is important to know how your airline ranks among travellers for boarding experience. To answer this important question, the UK consumer champion, Which? polled thousands of travellers between November and December 2024 to create a definitive ranking of the best and worst UK carriers based on boarding experience.

While most UK airlines rank decently well or unsurprisingly low, two carriers have distinguished themselves as a cut above the rest. When it comes to short-haul flights Logan Air ranks the highest among UK airlines, receiving four out of five stars for boarding experience based on customer reviews. Virgin Atlantic also received four out of five stars for boarding experience among long-haul airlines, ranking the best among all other surveyed UK airlines. Unsurprisingly Wizz Air and Ryanair ranked the worst among UK airlines for boarding experience, receiving two-star and one-star ratings respectively.

While notoriously cheaper airlines, both Ryanair and Wizz rated poorly when it came to value for money as well. Reportedly, 47% of Ryanair passengers also said that the airline did not provide an explanation for flight delays or their rights after cancellations. While Logan Air ranked the best for boarding experience, according to Which?, Jet2 is the best provider overall. Despite only receiving a three-star rating for boarding experience, Jet2 had stronger booking experience, better customer service and was indicated as the least likely to cancel flights.

Another key takeaway is that British Airways actually rated higher for boarding experience when it came to long-haul flights versus short-haul flights. BA received a two-star rating for short-haul boarding experience and a three-star rating for long-haul boarding.

The 2025 Which? Survey was based on 9,325 flight experiences and also ranked customer service, booking process, food and drink, seat comfort, cabin environment, value for money and cleanliness on a five star rating system. You can find the full rankings of short-haul and long-haul airlines below.

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