Best and worst airlines of 2024: AirHelp Score Report

An additional 36 airlines on this year’s list compared to last

Brussels Airways has taken on the title of the world’s best airline of 2024, according to a report released by leading air passenger rights organisation, AirHelp.

The organisation’s 2024 airline Score report enables passengers to see, through the data, what treatment they can expect from airlines, with AirHelp being uniquely placed with one of the most accurate databases in the world for flight data.

In this year’s analysis, 109 of the world’s leading airlines were ranked for their punctuality, customer opinion, and claim processing, based on data collected between 1 January and 31 October 2024. 

Brussels Airways took top honours with an overall score of 8.12 and a high score of 8.7 for claim processing. 

Qatar Airways dropped one spot to second overall, with a score of 8.11. The airline ranked particularly high for customer opinion with a score of 8.9. 

US airlines take the third and fourth spots with United Airlines and American Airlines both scoring 8.04. 

Tunisair repeated its 2023 performance this year, once again ranking the worst airline with a score of 3.63. 

Tunisair performed badly in claim processing with a score of just 0.2. Buzz wasn’t far behind with an overall score of 4.45 and an even lower claim processing score of 0.1. 

Nouvelair was the third worst airline with a score of 4.48 and an equally low claim processing score of 0.1. 

Virgin Atlantic once again led the way for UK Airlines. In 2024, the airline ranked the best out of UK airlines in position 30, with a score of 6.94 and a high customer opinion score of 8.8. 

British Airways takes 33rd, a significant improvement from its 82nd ranking in 2023. British Airways received a high customer opinion score of 8.3, however, it still has a low claim processing score of 5.9. 

EasyJet ranks 82nd taking British Airways’ place from last year with a score of 5.32. This fall can be attributed to easyJet having a low claim processing score of 2.0. Overall, the UK’s airlines didn’t fare well overall with no airlines making the top 30, although British Airways’ improvement this year is notable. 

Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, said: “The 2024 AirHelp Score for airlines is designed to act as a snapshot of airline performance, evaluating each airline's strengths and areas for improvement. 

“There is always scope for airlines to improve in the rankings each year, using the score to help guide them. At AirHelp, we support passengers in understanding their air travel rights and help them receive the compensation they may be entitled to.”