We've never hated flying more, new survey finds – especially Londoners

The British public has never been less satisfied with their flying experience, according to new research, with Londoners the least impressed.

The latest survey by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) showed that overall satisfaction levels with passengers flying from the UK slipped from 83 per cent in April to 82 per cent by the end of the year. In 2016, 90 per cent of passengers were happy with their airport and airline experience.

Those departing from the north of England and Northern Ireland were happiest, while travellers in the south-east, west Midlands and London rated their journey lowest, with just 76 per cent flying from the capital satisfied with their experience. Across the UK, seven of 12 regions saw customers satisfaction fall since the last survey in April.

More than 3,500 air passengers took part in the survey, in which they were also asked which elements of flying they were least impressed with. Waiting at the boarding gate was considered a low point, while the ease of navigating airports scored highly.

The survey found that 51 per cent of travellers who experienced a travel issue did not complain, but of those who did a third were dissatisfied with how their complaint was handled, making two thirds of those think twice about flying with the same carrier in the future.

“While the numbers show a positive story overall, it is important for the industry to continue to improve in areas where consumers are less content, such as complaint handling,” said Tim Johnson, policy director at the CAA.

“This is particularly important given new findings in this survey showing how poor complaint handling can make many consumers think twice about flying with an airline again.”

This year the CAA launched enforcement action against Ryanair after the airline refused to pay compensation to its customers affected by extensive strike action over the summer.

In December, the governing body wrote to the UK’s major airlines reminding them of their responsibility to reroute passengers affected by cancelled flights on rival carriers if need be.

Have you been satisfied with your flying experiences this year? Tell us about them - positive or otherwise - in the comments below.