Irish based airlines top for passenger complaints

This is the headline in today's Indo about a report from the European Consumer Centre. The report finds that 17% of the complaints were about Irish airlines but it does point out that the largest European airline Ryanair is based her.

It would have been much more useful if they produced a report of complaints by airline, rather than by country of origin of that airline.

Interestingly, only 5% of the complaints were by Irish customers.

When I went onto the ECC [broken link removed]to read the press release, I was very disappointed to see that the one which they have acknowledged was misleading is still there. 1 in 3 goods ordered online fails to arrive

Does this mean that 100% of ECC reports discussed on AAM are misleading?

The press release and report are very poorly put together. The report states:

"The clear majority of complaints received by ECC
Net are levied against airlines in two countries:
Ireland and the UK, both with large low cost
airlines operating via many European bases,
with Italy and Spain coming in third and fourth
respectively. Given that the low cost airlines in
Ireland and the UK easily carry the majority of
European air passengers per year, these statistics
are to be expected."


It is extraordinary that they did not go on to give a volume adjusted figure, which would convey some useful meaning. If Irish based airlines account for 18% of flights but only 17% of complaints, then their performance is better than average. Absent this figure, the statistics are, quite literally, meaningless.

I get irritated by the misleading use of statistics. These stats simply tell us nothing, (except, of course, that they tell us something about the people who compiled them)

Sorry to rant - but it's even worse. I had skimmed through this report and thought that the statistics related to total complaints about airlines, but had not given any though as to how they compiled the complaint statistics. In fact, the stats. only relate to complaints actually brought to ECC centres. This itself introduces a whole new set of statistical biasing factors. I had a quick look and it appears that no reference whatever is made to the possible bias introduced as a result.

Interesting reading perhaps, but the data presented are utterly unreliable as a basis for making any policy decisions.

Any chance that the original report was done in Irish and has lost something in the translation?

how times have changed! an Irish airline is now the busiest in europe. long time ago when I was working in Galway there used to be a big sign near the railway station advertising BOAC and the VC 10. changed times indeed.