Ryanair voted least favourite airline for third year running

British travellers have voted Ryanair their least favourite airline for the third year in a row in a TripAdvisor poll.

Of the 450 Brits questioned, 30% voted the low-cost airline as their least favourite.

Coming top of the favourite list were Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and Emirates, because of their friendly and helpful staff, comfortable seats and good on-time arrival and departure record.

In a worldwide poll of over 8,000 travellers, British Airways also topped the list, along with Singapore Airlines and Air France.

Other key findings of the TripAdvisor survey of British travellers include:

– 56% plan to spend more on leisure travel in the next 12 months than they did in the past 12 months

– 33% will take three holidays in the next year.

– 53% spent more than they budgeted for leisure travel in the past 12 months.

– 26% think the cost of fuel isn’t important when choosing where to go on their next holiday

– 69% said the unfavourable exchange rates will not prevent or limit their travel to Europe in the next 12 months

– 21% said they will be more environmentally-conscious in their travel decisions in the upcoming year than the past year

– 90% think mobile phones should be banned on flights, compared to just 81% of worldwide travellers.

– 46% of UK travellers want wireless internet access on airlines
compared to 62% of worldwide travellers

– 9% of British travellers are willing to pay extra for in-fight internet access

– 56% could imagine airlines charging extra for a window view in the future

– 90% would pay 10% or more to sit in a quiet section of an aircraft

– 77% think families with young children should sit in their own section of an aircraft

– 23% said Heathrow was their least favourite airport

– 26% are likely to engage in an adventure activity in the next year

– 5% are likely to engage in an extreme sports activity.

– 35% are likely to take a garden tour

– 49% will visit a spa.

– 10% are likely to go skiing/snowboarding.

– 41% have six weeks or more annual holiday time 

– 10% said they did not take all of their allotted holiday time, the number one reason because they can’t afford to be away from work that much.

– 68% are concerned about germs, bacteria and viruses when travelling.

– 16% said they don’t think a shoe shiner deserves a tip, but 61% think a hotel housekeeper does

– 29% said they never check their email on a week or longer holiday, while 49% check their email once or twice

– 28% said they have had more trouble booking desired flights in the past 12 months, than the previous year.

– 10% said they had a flight cancelled this year because their route or flight was permanently eliminated from their carrier’s schedule.

– 80% are comfortable with the new full body scanners used by some airport security, compared with 70% of worldwide travellers

Meanwhile, Budoni, in Sardinia, Italy has been identified as the Next Hot Spot in 2009, based on changes in search activity and postings throughout TripAdvisor

The full list is:

1. Budoni, Sardinia

2. Agia Galini, Crete

3. Petra, Jordan

4. Ardmore, Ireland

5. Peschiera del Garda, Italy

6. Protaras, Cyprus

7. Torre del Mar, Spain

8. Hanioti, Greece

9. Wadduwa, Sri Lanka

10. Goslar, Germany

By Bev Fearis