What is the filthiest airline in the world?

Ryanair has been named as the ‘filthiest’ flight operator in the UK by a Which Travel survey.

Just under 8,000 people were questioned in the survey and less than half of the passengers (42 percent) scored Ryanair as ‘good’ for cleanliness.

A further 24 percent of those in the survey suggested that cleanliness on Ryanair flights was ‘poor’, whereas Wizz Air and Vueling Airlines was described this way by 10 percent of passengers.

Only 62 percent of Wizz Air passengers found the cleanliness to be good and on Vueling and Iberia flights, only 63 percent of people were happy with the standard of cleanliness.

Cleanliness on Easyjet planes was ‘poor’ according to 8 percent of its passengers, and seven percent for  TUI flights.

Around two-thirds of Easyjet, passengers rated cleanliness in-flight as ‘good, very good or excellent.’

Ryanair scored badly in the cleanliness survey compared to other airlines  

Investigators using a UV light to examine cleanliness on the budget Irish airline uncovered grease on tray tables, headrests that were soiled and dusty window sills onboarding a Ryanair plane.

The grime would have been invisible to the human eye, which was why an ultraviolet light was used.

At the other end of the scale, 97 percent of passengers rated Air New Zealand’s cleanliness as good, with 96 percent rating Singapore Airlines and 95 percent Emirates and Qatar Airways equally.

Easyjet was rated as ‘good’ for cleanliness by 63 percent of passengers, Wizz Air 62 percent, and Ryanair at the bottom of the table with the 42 percent of passengers.

EasyJet planes did well in the cleanliness ratings.

A survey last year found that the headrest was the dirtiest surface on a plane – as research samples found traces of E.coli bacteria on the headrests and seat pockets, indicating fecal contamination.

Faster and faster turnarounds are one thing, but it is unacceptable for some airlines to be cutting corners when it comes to cleaning out their cabins properly – no matter how cheap the airline ticket.