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British Airways has slumped to third from bottom in an annual survey of passenger satisfaction. The airline achieved a customer score of just 52% in the short-haul category in the annual poll by consumer group Which?. This figure was down from 67% in 2016. In a year when BA ended free catering for economy passengers on short-haul flights, the airline was given just 2 stars for its food and drink. The same poor rating was given for seat comfort and value for money. Ryanair came in joint last place with Vueling with a customer score of 45%. BA was also rated the third worst long-haul carrier, behind TUI Airways and Thomas Cook for the first time. Its customer score dropped from 60% in 2016 to 50%. United Airlines was ranked the worst long-haul airline (39%), followed by American Airlines (46%). <br/>

On the eve of what many feared would be a wave of cancellations due to pilot scheduling problems, American Airlines says it has pilots in place to cover flights for the remainder of December. The airline has not canceled any flights and “we are confident we will not cancel any flights due to pilot staffing,” said a spokesman for American Airlines Group. “Our pilots are stepping up to cover open trips and we have reserve pilots on hand to utilise as needed,” he added. “The bottom line is, customers can rest assured we will get them where they need to go during the holidays.” Last week, the airline acknowledged a scheduling mistake allowed many pilots to drop their December flights, putting thousands of flights at risk of cancellation. <br/>