Airline ratings website, Skytrax, is renowned for unveiling the best airlines and airports in the world, but has now lifted the lid on the darker side of flying: the world’s worst airlines.
Just nine international carriers can boast full marks for being top quality airlines, and these are: ANA, Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan Airlines, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines.
There are 40 with four stars, including Virgin, Lufthansa, British Airways, Qantas and Emirates, and then another 107 with three stars, including Ryanair, United, Norwegian, and world’s largest carrier American Airlines.
And then there’s 21 airlines fall below that standard, according to Skytrax, with 20 scraping a measly two stars, and one – the very worst – clocking just one star from five. And this abomination of an airline is North Korean airline, Koryo Air. Congrats to these guys, who’ve taken out this title for the fifth consecutive year now.
According to The Telegraph London, passengers aboard this dud airline have described “perfunctory” emergency procedures, fizzy drinks that are “difficult to identify” and “uncomfortably loud” engine noise, while some of its oldest aircrafts feature cockpits without digital screens (is that even safe?) and seats that fold forward.
Some of the customer reviews include, “food is best left alone” and “they don’t pay attention to safety”, however many reviews actually back the airline, claiming it doesn’t deserve the one-star rating.
“I don’t know how things were in the past, but there is no current reason for a one star review. Flew from Beijing to Pyongyang,” said one reviewer.
“Yes, the inflight entertainment for the 2 hour flight was basically North Korean propaganda and magazines from North Korea – but surely if you are a tourist to North Korea that is exactly what you are interested in. The food was average. The service was perfectly passable.”
Here are the other 20 crappy airlines listed by Skytrax (in alphabetical order):
1. Bahamasair
Based: Nassau
Founded: 1973
Destinations: 32
Slogan: “We don’t just fly there, we live there”
2. Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Based: Dhaka
Founded: 1972
Destinations: 18
3. Bulgaria Air
Based: Sofia
Founded: 2002
Destinations: 26
4. China United Airlines
Based: Beijing
Founded: 1986
Destinations: 20
5. Cubana Airlines
Based: Havana
Founded: 1930
Destinations: 20
Slogan: “Cuba’s Gateway to the World”
6. Iran Air
Based: Tehran
Founded: 1944
Destinations: 58
Slogan: “Our Mission is Your Safety” & “We Take You There, We Take You Back”
7. Lion Air
Based: Jakarta
Founded: 1999
Destinations: 126
Slogan: “We Make People Fly”
8. Mahan Air
Based: Tehran
Founded: 1992
Destinations: 61
Slogan: “The Spirit of Excellence”
9. Nepal Airlines
Based: Kathmandu
Founded: 1958
Destinations: 33
10. Onur Air
Based: Istanbul
Founded: 1992
Destinations: 30
Slogan: “Fly Turkey, Fly!”
11. Pegasus Airlines
Based: Istanbul
Founded: 1990
Destinations: 103
Slogan: “We Didn’t Start Aviation In Turkey, But We Transformed It”
12. Rossiya Airlines
Based: St Petersburg
Founded: 1932
Destinations: 58
13. SmartWings
Based: Prague
Founded: 2004
Destinations: 27
14. Spirit Airlines
Based: Miramar, Florida
Founded: 1980
Destinations: 59
Slogan: “Less Money, More Go”
15. Sudan Airways
Based: Khartoum
Founded: 1946
Destinations: 15
16. SyrianAir
Based: Damascus
Founded: 1946
Destinations: 14
17. Tajik Air
Based: Dushanbe
Founded: 1923
Destinations: 19
18. Turkmenistan Airlines
Based: Ashgabat
Founded: 1992
Destinations: 23
Slogan: “Symbol of Hospitality”
19. Ukraine International Airlines
Based: Kiev
Founded: 1992
Destinations: 80
20. Yemenia
Based: Sana’a
Founded: 1962
Destinations: 29
