The Most Disappointing British Airlines Ranked for 2025
Wondering which UK airlines are the worst? AirAdvisor has the ranking for 2025 – learn which airlines to avoid when booking your next UK-based flight.
It may sound negative, but when you need to book a flight, sometimes it’s handy to know which airlines are best avoided. That’s why, in conjunction with our post on the best British airlines (where you can find our complete methodology), we also wanted to establish the flip side: the worst UK airlines.
Our research to determine the “winners,” if you can call them that, was intensive. We reviewed:
- Nearly 1.5 million flights to determine airline reliability.
- Over 580,000 reviews from 10 sources for a customer satisfaction score.
- More than £55 billion in revenue for airline affordability.
- Every passenger plane accident in 2023 and 2024 to determine the carrier’s safety.
- 13 airline policies related to comfort and travelling as a family or with pets.
The truth is, if we were looking to make a list of the top 10 worst airlines in the UK, we’d have to use them all, which wouldn’t be beneficial. As a result, we’ve come up with the 3 worst UK airlines to keep it simple based on 9 different factors. Here are our findings:
The UK’s Worst Airline – Blue Islands
No airline wants to be the worst, but someone has to be. What is the worst airline in the UK? With the lowest overall points total across our 9 categories, we can safely say that Blue Islands is Britain’s worst airline for 2025. They only scored 37 points out of a maximum of 90, but they actually share the worst airline title, so they aren’t alone.
Why did Blue Islands score so poorly? A few reasons:
- Second-worst customer reputation score.
- Received zero points for affordability because we could not find published financial data.
- Did not receive any professional awards in 2024.
- Not ideal for pet or family-friendly travel.
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Is there an upside? Yes. Blue Islands has an exemplary safety record, with no reported accidents in the period we reviewed. But in every other category, this regional Channel Islands airline scored below average.
Also the Worst Airline UK – Eastern Airways (it’s a tie)
More passengers use Eastern Airways than Blue Islands, and even so, it’s possible that this regional airline may not even be on your radar. But if it is, and you’re planning a trip within Britain, you can find better options.
Eastern Airways also scored a dismal 37 points across all categories. Like Blue Islands, Eastern also gets top points for safety, which is definitely a good thing. Eastern Airways offers a relatively comfortable in-flight experience, landing it in the middle of the pack for this component. Eastern’s customer review score is also positive. The carrier was the second worst in 2023 based on reviews, but has risen 3 places for 2025. Hopefully, this overall trend continues!
Now for the bad news. Don’t even try to travel with a pet on Eastern Airways or expect to have a good time in their lounges. Like Blue Islands, we could not find enough financial data to judge affordability, and Eastern Airways is the least reliable airline in the group.
With Eastern Airways, if the price is right and they have the route you need, it might make sense to use them. But if possible, check out other better-ranked regional airlines like Loganair, or go with larger airlines like Virgin Atlantic or British Airways when flying within the UK.
Third-Worst UK Airline – Aurigny Air Services
Channel Islands-based Aurigny Air Services takes the third spot on our overall list of the worst airlines UK. But the data starts to look a little better.
Here’s a summary of Aurigny’s achievements:
- Second-worst airline for reliability – high occurrences of flight delays and cancellations.
- No data to judge affordability.
- Zero professional awards received in 2024.
- Above average for comfort and customer reputation.
Chances are good that your next Aurigny Air Services flight will encounter a disruption, and if that’s the case, remember that we’re here to help. AirAdvisor fights for flight delay compensation on behalf of customers to make things easy. Only Eastern Airways was worse for reliability. To provide some context, in 2023, 22.2% of Aurigny’s flights were cancelled – not very encouraging!
Should You Avoid the Worst UK Airlines?
Yes and no. In certain cases, Blue Islands, Eastern, and Aurigny are the only carriers flying the route, so you won’t have a lot of choice. But, at least now, when you book a flight with any of these 3 airlines, you know a little more about what to expect. Prepare for delays, don’t expect to be too comfortable, and leave the kids and pets at home.
Travelling on one of the UK’s worst airlines? Remember that AirAdvisor can assist passengers in getting the flight delay compensation they deserve.Contact us today to start a claim
FAQs
What’s the worst airline in the UK?
Comparing 10 airlines in 9 categories, AirAdvisor found that both Blue Islands and Eastern Airways were tied for the title of the worst British airline in 2025. They were some of the least reliable choices and don’t excel at passenger comfort. Plus, Blue Islands scored very poorly for passenger reviews, and Eastern was among the worst UK airlines for both pet and family travel.
What are the top 3 worst airlines in the UK?
According to our 2025 review, the 3 worst UK airlines are Blue Islands, Eastern Airways, and Aurigny Air Services. They have limited routes, poor reliability, don’t win many professional awards, and don’t generally encourage passengers to travel with children or pets.
Author:
Amy Lancelotte
Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Strategist
Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with over seven years of experience producing research-based articles for international audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.
