AirHelp reveals the best and worst airlines in 2025 AirHelp Score
117 airlines evaluated to assess performance across key passenger experience metrics
Irish carriers Aer Lingus and Ryanair featured in global rankings
Virgin Atlantic and KM Malta Airlines are Europe’s top performing airlines
18 November 2025 – AirHelp, the leading travel tech company supporting passengers with flight disruptions, has today released the second half of the 2025 AirHelp Score.
Since 2015, the AirHelp Score has empowered passengers to make informed decisions by ranking the performance of airlines and airports worldwide. This year’s ranking includes 117 airlines - an increase of 8 carriers compared to 2024 – offering a broader and more detailed picture of global air travel.
Aer Lingus leads the way in Ireland
Aer Lingus ranks highest among Irish airlines with a score of 6.61, placing 57th overall. While it performs well in the region, its claim processing score is notably low at just 3.9. Ryanair follows with an overall score of 5.67, ranking 84th.
In addition to Virgin Atlantic in third position and KM Malta Airlines in fifth, several other European carriers performed strongly this year. Brussels Airlines secured 9th place with a score of 7.66, LOT Polish Airlines followed in 10th with 7.65, and Air France ranked 12th with 7.59 points. In contrast, AeroItalia was the lowest-ranked European airline, placing 110th, with a score of 4.82. TAROM and Jet2 also performed poorly, ranking 107th (4.90) and 105th (4.98) respectively.
The best and worst airlines
Qatar Airways reclaimed the top spot in the 2025 AirHelp Score, after being overtaken by Brussels Airlines last year. With an impressive overall score of 8.16, Qatar stands out in customer opinion, earning a high rating of 9.1. Etihad Airways takes second place with a score of 8.07, followed closely by Virgin Atlantic in third (8.03). Qantas ranks fourth with 7.99 points, while KM Malta Airlines rounds out the top five with a score of 7.85.
On the other hand, Hong Kong Airlines (4.58) and Spirit Airlines (4.70) rank among the lowest performers. Tunisair, which held the bottom spot last year, recorded a score of 4.71 this year, closely followed by China Eastern Airlines with a rating of 4.74.
Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp commented: "As global travel rebounds and passenger expectations rise, the 2025 AirHelp Score reveals which airlines are soaring – and which are falling short. We believe passengers deserve more than just competitive fairs – they need transparency and reliability. The score offers a snapshot of airline performance, helping travellers make better decisions before their flight. Our mission is to empower passengers with insights into what they can expect and their rights if flights get delayed, cancelled, or overbooked.”
Find out more about AirHelp’s Best Airline Rankings Worldwide here.
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About the AirHelp Score
The AirHelp Score is a ranking of the best and worst airlines and airports in the world. AirHelp has been publishing the AirHelp Score since 2015 (with a break during the pandemic) to help passengers better plan their flights. The Score allows passengers to see what treatment they can expect from airlines and airports based on data. To calculate the AirHelp Score, multiple data sources and factors are combined to give passengers a comprehensive picture of how an airline or airport is performing. The rating of airlines is weighted equally across on-time performance, customer opinion, and claim processing. To determine the results, data from 1st October 2024 to 30th September 2025 was analysed, and passengers were asked about their most recently used airlines.
About AirHelp
AirHelp is a travel tech company tackling flight disruptions. Since 2013, it has won compensation for over 3 million passengers with a flight delay or cancellation. 12 million passengers have protected their flights with AirHelp+ Protection, and countless millions more benefit from the expert information freely available on airhelp.com. AirHelp has also just released its new app, which offers real-time flight tracking, disruption alerts, and options for extra protection, download it here!
AirHelp is dedicated to investing in a greener future - it has pledged to plant 1 tree for every 100 flight disruptions and so far, it has planted 170,846 trees. As air passenger rights advocates, AirHelp cares about people, and caring about people also means caring about the planet.
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