AirHelp, a global flight compensation company, placed Qatar Airways at number one, followed by Lufthansa and Etihad Airways.
Iberia, across the border, fared even worse than TAP, being placed 65th, two places ahead of Ryanair.
AirHelp Score is an accurate data-based evaluation of airlines and airports, rating them on quality of service, on-time performance, claim processing and online consumer sentiment analysis.
Making improvements to on-time performance and claims processing allowed Qatar Airways to dethrone Singapore Airlines, which dropped to fourth among 72 airlines for 2018. Worldwide, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways and South African Airways rounded out the top five.
The five airlines with the lowest ratings include Air Mauritius, easyJet, Pakistan International Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines and WOW Air.
“The 2018 AirHelp Score shows that as competition stiffens between airlines those that put passengers first will come out the winners in the long run. For too long airlines have focused on cutting corners and costs without regard to the people they serve. We’re thrilled to see a positive shift in many airlines who are now putting passengers first, and when things do go wrong these airlines are holding themselves accountable by executing the rightfully owed claims quickly and without hassle,” said AirHelp CEO and co-founder Henrik Zillmer.
This year saw a shift in airport ratings as well. Customers enjoyed the best experience at Hamad International Airport, Athens International Airport and Tokyo Haneda International Airport which were ranked top 3, whereas London Stansted Airport and Kuwait International Airport fell short with the bottom spots.
Porto’s Sá Carneiro was rated 90th out of the 140 airports surveyed, while Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport was ranked a lowly 121 on the list.
All airports were rated based on on-time performance, quality of service and passengers’ experiences expressed on social media.