Which is really better – easyJet or Ryanair?

EasyJet vs Ryanair has been an easy choice for most of the past 20 years.

Ryanair invariably comes somewhere near the bottom of our table of the best and worst airlines, while easyJet has always been somewhere near the middle.

However, in 2023 easyJet alienated many flyers and provoked scathing headlines when it cancelled thousands of flights.

Our survey looks at every aspect of a flight but we’ve also analysed Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data on punctuality and cancellations – the most important issue for most people.

We also checked the cost of taking a bag onboard – and found out how much leg-room you’ll have in a standard seat.

See below to make your own decision on which is the best budget airline to choose.

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Who’s more likely to cancel your flight at the last minute – easyJet or Ryanair?

Getting you to your destination is the crucial measure of an airline's success, and easyJet failed badly last year. In the 12 months up to September 2023, easyJet cancelled more than twice as many flights as Ryanair within 24 hours of scheduled departure. That’s according to CAA figures.

Ryanair cancelled 0.80% – that's roughly average for the carriers we looked at. Easyjet cancelled 2%. That’s just within 24 hours of departure – many more were cancelled with a few days' or weeks' notice.

Who’s better? Ryanair.

Who’s more punctual – easyJet or Ryanair?

In the same period, 62% of Ryanair flights arrived on time according to CAA figures – that means within 15 minutes of when they were supposed to arrive.

For easyJet the figure was similar – 60% of its flights arrived on time. For both airlines around 1% of flights were more than three hours late.

 Who’s better? Ryanair, although there’s not much between them.

Who has a better luggage allowance – easyJet or Ryanair?

Unfortunately easyJet has copied Ryanair’s policy of charging for cabin luggage that won’t fit under your seat.

EasyJet says the charge for putting a case in the overhead locker is ‘from £5.99’ per flight while Ryanair says it’s between £6-£36 per flight. 

With Ryanair you can also pay to check in either a 10kg or 20kg suitcase. EasyJet has different costs for checking in luggage of either 15kg, 23kg or 32kg. Again, the prices vary by route.

On three routes we looked at, easyJet was more expensive for cabin bags at around £50 for a return flight – although you got a slightly bigger bag, which might save you having to pay to check luggage into the hold. On Ryanair it was around £40 on average.

Including handles and wheels, easyJet’s overhead locker bag allowance is 56 x 45 x 25cm; Ryanair’s is 55 x 40 x 20cm.

Who’s better? Both bad – you’ll probably pay more with easyJet but will get more room for your stuff.

Is Ryanair really good value? Or could British Airways sometimes be better?

Who has more comfortable seats – easyJet or Ryanair?

Ryanair has a slightly bigger seat pitch than easyJet – that’s the distance between your seat and the one in front of it – at 30 inches (Ryanair) to 29 inches (easyJet).

However, in our latest survey easyJet got two stars for seat comfort while Ryanair got just one star.

Who’s better? EasyJet – just slightly.

Who has better food and drink – easyJet or Ryanair?

On Ryanair, a meal deal with a sandwich or similar, packet of crisps or another snack and a soft drink is £10.99. Hot meals such as a Thai green curry or a lasagne cost £7 and a cappuccino is £3.25. 

A glass of wine is £7 and a can of beer such as Heineken £6.25.

On easyJet, a meal deal with a sandwich, wrap or similar, snack and soft drink is cheaper at £8.95. Hot meals such as a chicken korma or pasta with tomato sauce are £7 and a cappuccino is also £3.25.

A glass of wine is £6.25 and a Heineken or similar is £5.25.

In our survey, passengers were not impressed by Ryanair’s offering – or the price. It got just one star for food and drink, while easyJet was only slightly better with two stars.

Who’s better? EasyJet is better than Ryanair, but passengers weren’t impressed by either airline. 

Who has better customer service – easyJet or Ryanair?

If there’s one reason people choose not to fly Ryanair – or complain about it when they do – it’s the customer service. In our survey it got just one star, while easyJet got three stars.

Many airlines have a reputation for letting passengers down when something goes wrong, but Ryanair is particularly bad. 

During delays it was less likely to have staff available, and staff were less helpful than other airlines in our survey.

Who’s better? EasyJet.

Who has cleaner planes – easyJet or Ryanair?

Even on supposedly premium carriers, cleaners can get as little as eight minutes to clean your plane.

But budget carriers have such fast turnarounds that your plane’s unlikely to be given a thorough cleaning until the end of the day.

Ryanair told us that it does clean between every turnaround but passengers weren’t impressed. It only got two stars for cleanliness in our survey. EasyJet said that it cleans at the end of every day, and it also got just two stars.

Who’s better? Equally bad.

Who’s more likely to seat groups together for free – easyJet or Ryanair?

In our survey, 89% of easyJet passengers who didn’t pay for seat selection were seated with their travel companions anyway. For Ryanair that figure was just 62%.

Ryanair insists that at least one adult travelling with children has to pay for seat selection.

If you decide to pay for seat selection for two adults that can add £40 to the cost of a Ryanair return booking.

Who’s better? EasyJet.

Verdict – who’s better overall?

EasyJet had a terrible 2023 with thousands of cancellations, but it still did better than Ryanair in our survey with a customer score of 59% compared with Ryanair’s 47%.

Ryanair’s disdain for customer service – particularly in the event of delays or cancellations – means that it continues to infuriate passengers every year. 

However, easyJet fell short in one crucial respect: successfully operating all the flights it sells. In 2024 it needs to do much better to maintain its long-cherished status as being just a bit better than Ryanair.

Who’s better overall? EasyJet, but only just.

Should you fly with easyJet or Ryanair?

Although easyJet and Ryanair often appear to have the cheapest prices on flight comparison sites, always remember that you’ll probably need to pay for cabin bags or hold luggage if you’re going on holiday. 

There are better carriers than either easyJet or Ryanair – particularly Jet2, which lets you take cabin luggage onboard for free. BA too can sometimes be cheaper as it also lets you take cabin bags onboard for free.

Before booking, see our guide to the best and worst airlines and find out which carrier is now even worse than Ryanair.