2024 AirHelp Score: Worst 10 airlines in the world

Get ready for the reveal… ✈ The AirHelp Score 2024 is here, and it’s time to call out the airlines that turned travel dreams into travel nightmares.

Each year, we dive into the data to rate the world’s most prominent airlines on their punctuality, service quality, and how they handle compensation claims.

Which airlines left customers stranded with delays and disappointment? Who made flying feel like a nightmare at 30,000 feet? Let’s find out as we countdown the airlines that, well, missed the mark in 2024.

10. SKY express. Greece. 

A Greek airline with a relatively small fleet, SKY express kicks off our list of the worst 10 airlines in the world with a disappointing score of 4.86 out of 10. 

While SKY may be successful in transporting air passengers from various major European airports with smaller ones scattered across Greece, the same cannot be said for connecting customers who’ve experienced significant flight disruptions with financial compensation. As a result, the newcomer to this year’s competition scored a lowly, 0.1 out of 10 in the category of claim processing. 

9. Air Mauritius. Mauritius. 

Though Air Mauritius is known and liked for its hospitality—which includes offering a tasty selection of inflight meals and refreshments—a lack of punctuality and abjectly poor claim processing rating has resulted in a low finish and a substandard overall score of 4.84 out of 10. 

8. TAROM. Romania. 

Following on from a disappointing finish last year with this year’s joint-worst rating for Claim Processing (0.0 out of 10), TAROM received a total AirHelp score of 4.82 out of 10. 

Did you know that the Romanian national carrier is particularly famous for a 1969 round-the-world flight covering 50,000 kilometers in less than 80 hours of flight time? Impressive, right? A landmark moment for the airline and Eastern Europe back then… We’re guessing this year’s low rank in the AirHelp Score won’t exactly have TAROM making room in the trophy cabinet. 

7. IndiGo. India. 

India’s largest budget airline, rated 4.80 out of 10, offers an affordable way to explore the rich cultural heartlands of the country.

IndiGo has rapidly expanded its fleet to over 360 aircraft, now operating more than 2,000 daily flights across 77 domestic and 33 international destinations. While customers still appreciate the quality of service, and flights tend to be fairly punctual, its inclusion among the worst 10 airlines in the world is unsurprising given the measly 0.3/10 score for claim handling. 

6. Pegasus Airlines. Turkey. 

With an overall score of 4.73 out of 10, Pegasus Airlines is Turkey’s low-cost getaway to Europe and the Middle East, offering routes to destinations as intriguing as Cappadocia, with its fairy chimneys, or Baku’s wholly futuristic skyline. 

Though many passengers arrive on-time and sufficiently refreshed, when things don’t go to plan, the passenger experience is far from ideal–confirmed by a 0.2 out of 10 claim processing score. 

5. El Al Israel Airlines. Israel.

El Al, Israel’s national airline, is another newcomer to the AirHelp Score 2024, achieving an overall 4.60 out of 10. 

Though the Israeli carrier received a high rating for the quality of service, perhaps referencing its rich and varied culinary offerings, a distinct lack of punctuality and desperately poor claim-handling consigned the airline to a place among this year’s worst-performing airlines. 

4. Bulgaria Air. Bulgaria. 

Headquartered in the capital city of Sofia, Bulgaria Air is #4 in this year’s worst airlines, and operates out of one of this year’s worst airports. With an overall score of 4.9 out of 10, the debutant airline actually received the highest rating among the worst 10 airlines for claim processing. Alas, at 0.4/10 it’s really nothing to shout home about. 

3. Nouvelair. Tunisia. 

The first of two Tunisian entries in the worst 10 is the aspirational-sounding Nouvelair. However, a lowly score of 4.48 out of 10 as a consequence of unpunctuality and poor claim-handling might suggest that its aspirations don’t quite match the reality. Still, if you’re a Nouvelair passenger, we’d recommend checking out the inflight magazine Destination with interesting features on travel hotspots and cultural highlights like cinema and cooking. 

2. Buzz. Poland. 

Buzz is Ryanair’s quirky sibling, known for cheekily emblazoning bees on its aircraft. Unfortunately for Buzz, there’s no AirHelp Score category for that, and due to poor ratings in all three categories and a meek overall 4.45, it’s quite clear they’re neither going to infinity nor beyond. Based in Poland, Buzz flies to quintessential European destinations like Kraków or Gdańsk, serving up budget-friendly breaks. 

1. Tunisair. Tunisia. 

According to the AirHelp Score, Tunisair is the worst airline in the world for the second year in a row. 

Thoroughly disappointing passengers on all 3 fronts and taking the bottom spot for both punctuality and customer opinion, there’s very little to celebrate. The Tunisian national airline takes travelers to the lands of souks and sands, acting as a bridge between the ancient ruins of Cartage and the golden dunes of the Sahara, but it’s safe to say that the airline’s journey this year hasn’t been as magical as its destinations. 

3.63 out of 10.

Now you know which airlines are the worst to fly with

So, a final round of applause for the world's most "memorable" airlines. Safe to say, they’ve earned their place on this list… whether we like it or not! And while their compensation handling might leave you shaking your head, at least we’re here to help pick up the pieces. 👋

But why dwell on the airlines that let passengers down when you can celebrate the ones that soared this year?

We’ve rounded up the world’s top 10 airlines—2024’s stars of the skies! From clockwork punctuality to those little touches that make flying feel magical, discover what sets them apart and what to look for when booking your next adventure.

Ready to find your next favorite airline? Check out our blog post about the top 10 in the world now! 🚀

Did you also know that you can claim compensation for delayed, canceled, or overbooked flights from up to 3 years ago? AirHelp is here to help you check if your flight is eligible — it’s quick, easy, and totally risk-free!