Airline reviews: how to read online ratings

Look for consistency, not exceptions

A single negative review about a weather delay tells you little about the airline; dozens of comments reporting the same issue — rude staff, disorganized boarding, slow check-in counters — indicate a structural flaw in the carrier instead. Before dismissing or trusting a review, check how many other people report the same problem.

Aircraft model matters as much as the airline

The same airline can offer excellent experience on a recent Airbus A350 and mediocre experience on an older Boeing 777 still in fleet. Searching reviews by aircraft model and, when possible, by specific flight number — on portals like SeatGuru alongside Skytrax — returns more useful information than just the carrier name.

Photos matter more than description

Reviews with photographs show the actual state of seats and width of entertainment screens, information that airlines' official pages tend to embellish. For a direct comparison, the Skytrax review of ITA Airways shows how ratings are broken down by service class.

Before booking, search reviews for the specific route and aircraft model, not just the airline name: the comfort difference between two aircraft from the same fleet can be significant.