Top 10 Worst Airlines in the World

Europe's largest carrier by passenger numbers also leads in complaints, hidden fees, and seats so cramped that Michael O'Leary once floated the idea of standing-room flights without a hint of irony.

PIA's safety record, fleet age, and a 2020 incident caused by pilots chatting instead of monitoring instruments have made it the poster child for aviation authorities' watch lists worldwide.

Operating Soviet-era aircraft well past their retirement date with maintenance standards that make seasoned travelers clutch their armrests, Cubana turns every flight into an exercise in faith.

Ryanair's Eastern European clone adds its own twist of chaos with aggressive rebooking policies, vanishing customer service, and a baggage policy designed by someone who hates luggage.

Indonesia's largest domestic carrier has amassed a safety record so troubled that the EU banned it until 2016, and post-ban improvements have been incremental at best.

Operating in some of the world's most treacherous airspace with aging aircraft and mountain airports, Nepal Airlines combines beautiful scenery with genuine white-knuckle uncertainty.

Spirit's American twin charges separately for everything short of oxygen, offers seats with less padding than a park bench, and redefines "basic economy" as "basically punishment."

Decades of government mismanagement left Air India with stained seats, broken entertainment systems, and crew morale so low that the Tata Group's 2022 acquisition felt like a humanitarian intervention.

While Aeroflot's international fleet has modernized, domestic routes through Siberia on aging Sukhoi Superjets with Soviet-era service attitudes keep the carrier firmly on this list.

Europe's largest carrier by passenger numbers also leads in complaints, hidden fees, and seats so cramped that Michael O'Leary once floated the idea of standing-room flights without a hint of irony.

PIA's safety record, fleet age, and a 2020 incident caused by pilots chatting instead of monitoring instruments have made it the poster child for aviation authorities' watch lists worldwide.

Operating Soviet-era aircraft well past their retirement date with maintenance standards that make seasoned travelers clutch their armrests, Cubana turns every flight into an exercise in faith.

Ryanair's Eastern European clone adds its own twist of chaos with aggressive rebooking policies, vanishing customer service, and a baggage policy designed by someone who hates luggage.

Indonesia's largest domestic carrier has amassed a safety record so troubled that the EU banned it until 2016, and post-ban improvements have been incremental at best.

Operating in some of the world's most treacherous airspace with aging aircraft and mountain airports, Nepal Airlines combines beautiful scenery with genuine white-knuckle uncertainty.

Spirit's American twin charges separately for everything short of oxygen, offers seats with less padding than a park bench, and redefines "basic economy" as "basically punishment."

Decades of government mismanagement left Air India with stained seats, broken entertainment systems, and crew morale so low that the Tata Group's 2022 acquisition felt like a humanitarian intervention.

While Aeroflot's international fleet has modernized, domestic routes through Siberia on aging Sukhoi Superjets with Soviet-era service attitudes keep the carrier firmly on this list.