Airline complaints soar

Complaints against some of Britain's most popular airlines have hit an all-time high, a report is expected to reveal tomorrow.

Despite a boom in the number of cheap tickets on offer, consumers are unhappy with the service they receive.

Online booking has become the number one problem as travellers find they have few rights when their dream holiday plans collapse at the airport. They are arriving at check-in to discover their reservations have not been logged or they are booked on the wrong flights.

And despite ticket prices dropping to as little as £10 per flight, consumers are becoming irritated by the lost baggage, delays and cancellations which come with such cheap fares.

The report by consumer watchdog the Air Transport Users Council is expected to warn that in the last year there has been a three per cent increase in complaints against 120 top airlines.

British Airways, Air France and Ryanair have managed to cut the number of complaints but are still receiving the lion's share, the report will say.

Competition between airlines increased enormously after the 11 September terror attacks, when budget airlines slashed their prices in a bid to keep people flying. The result was a surge in online bookings. Ryanair, easyJet and Go reported record numbers, while scheduled airlines such as British Airways saw a decline in passengers. In the last few months, BA has been forced to slash the routes it offers and cut its prices for online bookings.

But an Evening Standard investigation has found Ryanair passengers have become increasingly frustrated with the service offered by the budget Irish airline. Despite its low prices, many have had to wait three hours for their suitcases to arrive at Stansted after a mere two-hour flight.

Others have arrived on holiday without their luggage because the airline has failed to load them onto the aircraft. Some have had to wait days for their belongings to be delivered.

Ryanair last month switched responsibility for baggage handling from Servisair to Groundstar but there have been chronic staff shortages caused by a long-running pay dispute within Groundstar. Problems have been compounded by the breakdown of the baggage-belt system at Stansted.

Ryanair often allows flights to leave without baggage to avoid losing the airline's expensive slot. Nearly two months after it promised to tackle the baggage crisis, passengers are losing patience.

Last week's announcement of a leap in the airline's profits to nearly £25 million has further disillusioned those who once praised Ryanair's low fares.

In an interview earlier this year, Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said its success was based on flying people cheaply and safely "and usually on time". He said: "Are we going to say sorry for our lack of customer services? Absolutely not. If a plane is cancelled, will we put you up in a hotel overnight? Absolutely not. If a plane is delayed, will we give you a voucher for a restaurant? Absolutely not."

Student Dani Ben-Haim, 19, and his brother Joni, 17, from Wembley, found themselves stranded at a German music festival without a tent after their Ryanair flight to Hamburg took off without their luggage. They waited two days for their bags to be delivered. Dani said: "Luckily we stayed with a friend, otherwise we would have been in trouble." On the return journey they had to wait two hours for their bags at Stansted.

Lee New, from Wapping, waited two days for her luggage to arrive after her Sweden-bound flight left the UK without her suitcase. The office manager, who had to replace a £120 outfit for an official dinner and now travels with hand luggage only on Ryanair, said: "It was clearly more important for them to take off on time than ensure that all 150 passengers had their luggage."

Two of her colleagues have suffered similar problems in the past two weeks.

One, who does not want to be named, arrived in Dublin for a golfing holiday last week - only to be told her £2,000 set of clubs had not arrived.

James Smith, 56, a retired businessman from Crouch End, waited more than two hours for his suitcase after a flight from Montpellier to Stansted.

"It took longer to get my baggage than it did to fly home from France," he said.

The report, due to be published tomorrow, will call on the industry to raise it standards in the coming months.