Fly Careful In 2025! 10 Lowest-Rated Airlines In The World

When choosing an airline to fly with, savvy travelers typically search for the best options when it comes to customer service, cost, and comfort. Most, of course, prefer to avoid airlines with a history of flight delays or cancelations, missing luggage, or poor service, but identifying exactly which airlines are the best isn’t easy unless you’re a frequent flier who can compare the experience of traveling with many different carriers.

To help with that, AirHelp, a company that helps passengers get compensation from airlines, stepped in. AirHelp ranked 109 airlines based on scores in a variety of areas, including customer opinions, punctuality, and claim processing efficiency, resulting in a list of the world’s best-rated airlines to fly in 2025, according to the evaluated carriers’ 2024 performance. Even some of the best US airlines made it high on AirHelp’s list!

While the airline that captured the top spot with an AirHelp score of 8.12 out of 10 was one most people have never even heard of, some of the carriers that ended up among the lower rankings were equally surprising, with the bottom-ranked airline of 2024 receiving an AirHelp score of 3.63.

Here are the ten lowest-rated airlines in the world in 2024, as per AirHelp’s scoring, potentially making them the bottom-ranked starting in 2025. It would appear that, based on AirHelp’s rating system, some of these airlines struggle with reliability, service quality, or support.

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10

SKY Express

AirHelp Score: 4.86

SKY Express airplane in Skiathos, Greece
Shuttertock

SKY Express airplane in Skiathos, Greece

SKY Express, based in Athens, mostly serves domestic routes in Greece and a few European destinations. Established in 2005, this Greek airline is a low-cost carrier that caters to budget travelers with smaller fleets and fewer long-haul flights.

With a score of 4.86 out of 10, SKY Express is ranked as the tenth-lowest-rated airline in the world for 2024. It received a comparatively low on-time performance score of 6.9 and a pitiful 0.1 out of 10 in the claim processing area. On the other hand, the airline’s customer opinion score of 7.6 is comparatively good.

SKY Express plays a vital role in connecting regional hubs and smaller Greek islands with budget-friendly options. Improving customer experience and operational reliability could help in future rankings.

Airline Home Base

Athens, Greece

On-Time Performance

6.9

Customer Opinion

7.6

Claim Processing

0.1

9

Air Mauritius

AirHelp Score: 4.84

Air Mauritius landing at London Heathrow airport.
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Air Mauritius landing at London Heathrow airport

Though Air Mauritius transports travelers to Mauritius’ stunning beaches and other incredible attractions, it has a subpar overall rating from AirHelp of 4.84 out of 10. A lack of punctuality and an abjectly poor claim handling rating have resulted in a low rating, making it the ninth lowest-rated airline in 2024 per AirHelp’s scoring.

Since its founding in 1967, Air Mauritius has served as an important link between the world and Mauritius. It connects Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Indian Ocean region with regional and international flights.

Although it received a respectable 7.6 for customer opinion, it only received a 0.2 for claim processing and a 6.7 for on-time performance. Passengers’ dissatisfaction with delayed flights and poor customer service resulted in its lower global standing.

Airline Home Base

Port Louis, Mauritius

On-Time Performance

6.7

Customer Opinion

7.6

Claim Processing

0.2

8

TAROM

AirHelp Score: 4.82

TAROM airplane in Otopeni, Romania
Shutterstock

TAROM airplane in Otopeni, Romania

TAROM, Romania’s flag carrier, was formed in 1954. It primarily covers local routes in Romania, with a few foreign destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Despite its long history, TAROM has struggled with passenger satisfaction and reliability. It came in as the eighth lowest-rated airline in the world in 2024 in AirHelp’s rankings due to low scores for customer service, claims processing, and average on-time performance.

TAROM maintains a customer opinion score of 7.6, but its on-time performance rating is 6.9, and its claim processing score is very low, at zero.

Airline Home Base

Bucharest, Romania

On-Time Performance

6.9

Customer Opinion

7.6

Claim Processing

0

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7

IndiGo

AirHelp Score: 4.80

IndiGo airplane in the sky
Shutterstock/kbp.spotter

IndiGo plane landing at Phuket Airport

IndiGo, although offering a range of quality services, including full seat freedom for female passengers, allowing women to choose their seats at no extra cost, received an overall score of 4.80 out of 10, ranking it among the world’s worst airlines when it comes to AirHelp’s rating system.

IndiGo was founded in 2006, and it swiftly rose to prominence as one of India’s biggest low-cost airlines, currently offering daily service to 33 international and 77 domestic locations. Its low ranking was the result of travelers’ complaints of delays and difficulties in settling legitimate compensation claims.

The airline has an on-time performance score of 6.6, with flights tending to be fairly punctual, and a slightly higher customer opinion score of 7.5. Nonetheless, its ranking of 103 out of 109 airlines is unsurprising given the dismal 0.3 score for claim handling.

Airline Home Base

New Delhi, India

On-Time Performance

6.6

Customer Opinion

7.5

Claim Processing

0.3

6

Pegasus Airlines

AirHelp Score: 4.73

Pegasus Airlines in Zurich, Switzerland
Shutterstock

Pegasus Airlines in Zurich, Switzerland

Pegasus Airlines, based in Istanbul, Turkey, is a low-cost carrier. It was established in 1990 and currently covers 130 destinations in 49 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

With an AirHelp Score of 4.73, Pegasus Airlines is ranked sixth among the worst airlines. The airline struggles with flight delays, giving it a 6.7 on-time performance score. It has a poor claim processing score of only 0.2, which overshadows its considerably better customer opinion score of 7.3.

While its low fares attract budget tourists, the airline’s low rating suggests that, despite its low-cost business model, it needs to do more to maintain service quality. Never mind; if your flight with this carrier happens to be delayed, a layover in Istanbul is full of experiences, from historic landmarks to bustling bazaars!

Airline Home Base

Istanbul, Turkey

On-Time Performance

6.7

Customer Opinion

7.3

Claim Processing

0.2

5

El Al Israel Airlines

AirHelp Score: 4.60

EL AL Israel Airlines passenger plane in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Shutterstock

EL AL Israel Airlines passenger plane in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Al Israel Airlines, Israel’s national airline, is ranked fifth among the lowest-rated airlines in the world in 2024. Its overall AirHelp Score is 4.60 out of 10, and its customer opinion score is 8.0.

El Al Israel Airlines is headquartered in Tel Aviv and operates flights to Asia, North America, and Europe. It was founded in 1948 and has been in service for over 75 years, but this year it received a claim processing score of 0.1 and an on-time performance score of 5.7 from AirHelp.

Despite the airline’s global reach and historical significance, the airline’s poor ranking on AirHelp’s list is clearly a cause for concern. Al Israel Airlines needs to concentrate on frequent delays, customer service, and resolving passenger claims to boost its ranking.

Airline Home Base

Tel Aviv, Israel

On-Time Performance

5.7

Customer Opinion

8

Claim Processing

0.1

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4

Bulgaria Air

AirHelp Score: 4.59

Bulgaria Air airplane at Heathrow Airport in London, England, United Kingdom
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Bulgaria Air airplane at Heathrow Airport in London, England, United Kingdom

Bulgaria Air, the country’s flag carrier, is based in Sofia, the capital city. The airline, along with its partners, operates flights to more than 400 destinations in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.

The airline is ranked fourth among the lowest in 2024 with an overall AirHelp score of 4.9 out of 10. Although it obtained the highest score of 0.4 among the lowest 10 airlines for claim handling, the airline does have room for improvement in various areas.

Its low airline scores point to problems including frequent delays, poor service, and unsatisfactory customer complaint resolution, all of which contribute to an unpleasant traveler experience. Working on these areas could boost Bulgaria Air’s future rankings.

Airline Home Base

Sofia, Bulgaria

On-Time Performance

6.2

Customer Opinion

7.2

Claim Processing

0.4

3

Nouvelair

AirHelp Score: 4.48

Nouvelair airplane at Frankfurt Airport, Germany
Shutterstock

Nouvelair airplane at Frankfurt Airport, Germany

Founded in 1989, Nouvelair is one of Tunisia’s leading private airlines. It serves over 30 nations across three continents, primarily in Europe. It offers affordable options for travelers looking for budget options.

Based in Monastir, Tunisia, Nouvelair scored 4.48 out of 10, although it received a good 7.5 score for customer opinion. However, the low scores for claim processing and punctuality overshadowed the good customer service score.

The airline struggles with on-time performance. Even claim processing is poor (0.1), placing it as the world’s third lowest-rated airline in 2024 per AirHelp.

Airline Home Base

Monastir, Tunisia

On-Time Performance

5.8

Customer Opinion

7.5

Claim Processing

0.1

2

Buzz

AirHelp Score: 4.45

Buzz airlines at London Stansted airport, UK
Shutterstock

Buzz airlines at London Stansted airport, UK

With an AirHelp Score of 4.45, Buzz, a Polish airline and subsidiary of the Ryanair Group, is ranked second among the worst airlines in 2024, according to AirHelp’s scoring system. Based in Warsaw, Poland, it is a low-cost airline that mostly operates in Europe.

Buzz received a low score of 0.1 for claim processing inadequacy in 2024. Although its low prices are a big draw for budget travelers, it is ranked among the 10 lowest-rated airlines in the world due to issues with customer service, flight delays, and on-time performance. Buzz needs to address its shortcomings to prevent more harm to its brand and improve its credibility among travelers.

Airline Home Base

Warsaw, Poland

On-Time Performance

6.2

Customer Opinion

7.1

Claim Processing

0.1

1

Tunisair

AirHelp Score: 3.63

Tunisair airplane in Tunis, Tunisia
Shutterstock

Tunisair airplane in Tunis, Tunisia

Tunisair is the flagship airline of Tunisia, North Africa’s hidden gem vacation destination, and has been operational since 1948. Despite being a long-standing player, it earned a low score of 3.63 out of 10, making it the lowest-rated airline of 2024 on AirHelp’s list.

The airline has a customer opinion score of 6.0, which might be higher than its punctuality score of 4.7, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. This suggests that the airline is experiencing operational issues that have led to numerous delays and cancelations.

Additionally, the airline’s claim processing score of just 0.2 indicates that addressing passenger complaints and compensation claims may be inefficient. All of these result in frustrated and unhappy customers.

Airline Home Base

Tunis, Tunisia

On-Time Performance

4.7

Customer Opinion

6

Claim Processing

0.2

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