Airlines haven’t had the best reputation lately. From the Southwest debacle to plenty of canceled flights, lost luggage, and seats getting smaller, America isn’t the only country that has airlines causing problems for customers. One of the most popular ways to air these grievances is Twitter, which is why S Money decided to scour the internet and find out which airlines are performing the worst.
The online-only currency exchange platform analyzed thousands of tweets around the world to determine the most loved and disliked airlines. The company used an AI sentiment tool to analyze up to 4,000 tweets that mentioned the official Twitter handles of the airlines and gave them a positive or negative score.
While Twitter does offer up some insights into people’s experiences, there are some problems with using it as a single source since most people tend to air their grievances rather than their positive experiences. According to research from Harvard University, outrage is known to go viral quicker on Twitter, while there is also going to be a gap between what is annoying and negative between different people.
When looking at the Twitter analysis, the U.S. didn’t fare too well, as two of its airlines fell in the top ten of the most disliked airlines on Twitter in the world, and no airlines made it into the top 10 most loved in the world.
The Most Hated Airlines In The World
According to the analysis, two of the world’s most disliked airlines on Twitter are from the U.S.
Spirit Airlines takes the number 8 spot, followed by Frontier Airlines in the top 10, with Spirit receiving a 62.2% score of negative tweets while Frontier trailed behind on 61.9%.
Spirit has been compared to the ‘American Ryanair,’ with many users frustrated over its hidden additional fees and expenses that sometimes cost more than the flight itself.
Many of the Twitter responses for both airlines were about canceled flights and not being adequately compensated. One user shared how Spirit canceled a $230 flight, and he was then forced to purchase a $700 new ticket.
Spirit airlines is the worst airlines out there. Cancelled my flight to Vegas so had to book another, then cancelled my return flight. $230 original roundtrip turns into $700.
Don’t travel spirit. They are awful. They didn’t even refund me full amount @SpiritAirlines
— Stone (@st0nedavis) February 27, 2023
Meanwhile, the negative tweets about Frontier recommend people not fly it, no matter how cheap the flights are, with frustrations around terrible customer service and not being able to get through to a human.
Anyone know how to contact @FlyFrontier ? I’ve been chatting for 3 hours and getting no where!!! 🤬🤯🤬
— Taren Lewis (@tarenrenee) February 27, 2023
Among the two U.S. airlines, the top 10 most disliked on Twitter include 3 airlines from Canada (WestJet, Flair Airlines, and Air Transat), two from India (Go First and SpiceJet), plus an airline from Portugal (TAP Air Portugal), Australia (Jetstar Airways) and Spain (Vueling).
Go First from India is considered the most disliked airline on Twitter in the world, with a 73.8% rating of negative tweets, which is 5% higher than Portugal’s TAP Air in the number two spot. A large proportion of tweets were likely attributed to the news headlines when the airline forgot to board 54 passengers before taking off.
When comparing North American-only airlines, the top three most disliked airlines are three Canadian airlines (WestJet, Flair Airlines, and Air Transat), followed by Spirit, Frontier, and then American.
Mexico’s airline Volaris comes in at number 10, the only airline from Mexico that makes the charts due to its difficulty in getting refunds for canceled flights.
The Most Loved Airlines In The World
No American airlines made the top 10 list, as Canada takes the lead for most loved, with three airlines appearing in the top four – regional Bearskin Airlines at number one with a 53.4% positive tweet score. Tweeters commented on its service to hard-to-reach places as well as the scenic views during the routes.
The other Canadian airlines in the top four include Pacific Coastal Airlines at number two and Canadian North at number four. The only American airline in the most loved on the Twitter list of North American airlines was Alaska Airlines, which made the number ten spot with a 34.% positive tweet rate.
