AIRHELP UNVEILS WORLD’S BEST AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS IN ANNUAL AIRHELP SCORE

• World’s Leading Flight Compensation Company Rates Airlines & Airports Worldwide on Quality of Service, Claim Processing, On-Time Performance and Consumer Sentiment
• Qatar Airways Ranked #1 Airline in the World for On-Time Performance, Quality of Service and Claims Processing
• US Airlines and Airports Fall Short of International Competitors

NEW YORK (June 6, 2018) – Today AirHelp, the world’s leading flight compensation company, announces its annual AirHelp Score which rates the world’s best and worst airlines and airports. The 2018 AirHelp Score resulted in new winners for airlines with Qatar Airways claiming the #1 spot, followed by Lufthansa and Etihad Airways. The AirHelp Score is the most comprehensive and accurate data-based evaluation of airlines and airports, rating them on quality of service, on-time performance, claim processing (airlines only) and online consumer sentiment analysis (airports only).

AirHelp Score proves airlines who focus on passengers come out on top

Making improvements to on-time performance and claims processing allowed Qatar Airways to dethrone Singapore Airlines, which dropped to #4 among 72 airlines for 2018. Worldwide, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways and South African Airways rounded out the top five. Among the top airlines in the United States according to volume of passengers, American Airlines is ranked at #23, United Airlines at #37 and Delta Airlines at #47, which puts United Airlines and Delta in the bottom fifty percent of airlines worldwide based on AirHelp’s ranking. Globally, the five airlines with the lowest ratings include Air Mauritius, easyJet, Pakistan International Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines and WOW Air.

“The 2018 AirHelp Score shows that as competition stiffens between airlines those that put passengers first will come out the winners in the long run. For too long airlines have focused on cutting corners and costs without regard to the people they serve. We’re thrilled to see a positive shift in many airlines who are now putting passengers first, and when things do go wrong these airlines are holding themselves accountable by executing the rightfully owed claims quickly and without hassle,” said AirHelp CEO and co-founder Henrik Zillmer. “We congratulate Qatar Airways who consistently puts customers first and has maintained its place in the top three since 2015 and is back at #1 this year. We hope more airlines take note of what these impressive competitors are doing and ensure claims processing and on-time performance improve this year.”

AirHelp Score’s airport ratings show improvement is still needed

This year saw a shift in airport ratings as well. Customers enjoyed the best experience at Hamad International Airport, Athens International Airport and Tokyo Haneda International Airport which were ranked top 3, whereas London Stansted Airport and Kuwait International Airport fell short with the bottom spots. United States-based airports Seattle-Tacoma Airport and San Francisco International Airport came in at #33 and #45 out of the 141 airports ranked. Overall, only 6 U.S. based airports fell into the top fifty percent globally, with many airports falling at the bottom of the list, like Newark Liberty International Airport which ranked among the bottom ten percent of airports that were rated. All airports were rated based on on-time performance, quality of service and passengers’ experiences expressed on social media.

“It is clear the U.S. is in need of significant improvement, with overbooked flights and cancellations making national headlines month after month, and the consistent mistreatment of U.S. consumers,” said Zillmer. “It is no wonder most U.S.-based airlines and airports received poor ratings on the AirHelp Score. It is more important than ever for consumers to fight for their air passenger rights.”

The 2018 AirHelp Score marks the company’s sixth report since it began evaluations in 2015. AirHelp developed this annual report to combine expert knowledge and industry expertise to give air passengers all the information they need to informatively book a flight and feel confident in their choices. To view AirHelp Score in full please visit AirHelp.com/AirHelpScore.

Air passengers who have experienced a delayed or cancelled flight can check their eligibility for compensation on the go, and make a claim in a matter of minutes through the free AirHelp mobile app, available for iOS and Android. Also, using AirHelp’s new tool, travelers can check flights’ compensation eligibility automatically for past and future flights.

About AirHelp

Since launching in 2013, AirHelp has helped more than five million people process airline compensation claims worth almost $369 million in total reimbursement. AirHelp has offices across the world, is available in 30 countries, offers support in 16 languages, and employs more than 500 employees globally.