AirHelp: Athens Airport ranked third best in the world

The Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" has been rated third in the world for overall passenger experience, according to the global airport rankings released annually by AirHelp, which assesses airlines and airports.

Based on the AirHelp scorecard for categories such as on-time performance, service quality and the airports' food and shopping options, Athens International Airport found its place in the top three with an overall score of 8.38 out of 10, among a total of 132 airports assessed by AirHelp. 

In a statement, Panagiotis Divanis of AirHelp noted the success of Athens International Airport was based on the pursuit of exceptional performance times and the quality of services, "as travelers appreciate the accuracy and want friendly service in the countries they visit."

First launched in 2015, AirHelp Score is the most comprehensive data-based evaluation of airlines and airports, rating them on service quality, on-time performance, claim processing and food and shops - taking into account flight and after-flight services.

To create this ranking, AirHelp has used top data sources, including its database of flight statistics, which is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world, tens of thousands of customer opinions and its own experience in helping 10 million passengers around the world process compensation following flight disruption.

The 2019 AirHelp Score results prove airlines who put customers first come out ahead

The highest rated airline in the 2019 AirHelp Score rankings is Qatar Airways, which has successfully held its top position since 2018 due to consistency in effective claims processing and high punctuality. Specifically, Qatar Airways scored 7.8 for claim handling and 8.4 for its on-time performance. Other than Qatar Airways, a major shift occurred among the rest of the top five airlines; American Airlines, Aeromexico, SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Qantas ranked second through fifth, which showed significant achievement in claims processing and punctuality.

While the top five airlines scored well in passenger-focused areas like claims processing and punctuality, several of the lowest rated airlines, including Ryanair, Korean Air, EasyJet, and Thomas Cook Airlines, made headlines this year for mistreatment of passengers. For example, Ryanair's staff went on strike, causing countless disruptions, and then the airline refused to pay out the compensation that passengers were owed. This shows that poor passenger support when flight plans go wrong will show in poor rankings.

''The 2019 AirHelp Score proves that airlines with higher passenger satisfaction provide more than consistent punctuality. We need to keep in mind that airlines are dealing with a new type of traveler: educated, increasingly aware of her needs and rights, and able to choose between a broad range of air carriers. It means that even those airlines which cannot keep their punctuality high have a chance to keep passengers connected to their brand by providing a positive after-flight service when their travel plans go wrong. Our study shows that airlines that put passengers first and hold themselves accountable by executing the rightfully owed compensation claims quickly and without hassle earn customers' trust in this highly competitive market," said AirHelp CEO and co-founder Henrik Zillmer.

AirHelp Score's airport ratings show improvement is still needed

Among 132 analyzed airports, customers enjoyed the best experience at Hamad International Airport, Tokyo Haneda International Airport and Athens International Airport, who have ranked as the top three airports since the first AirHelp Score ranking. Eindhoven Airport, Kuwait International Airport, and Lisbon Portela Airport fell short with the bottom spots this year. All airports were rated based on on-time performance, service quality and food and shopping options.

"It is clear the global airline industry is in need of significant improvement, with overbooked flights and cancellations making national headlines month after month, and the consistent mistreatment of passengers," said Zillmer.  "Although most U.S. airlines and airports rated well this year, there is still a lot of work to be done as more than 90% of U.S. travelers are still unaware of their air passenger rights."

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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Leonid Mamchenkov