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You may be thinking that 2025 is not the best year. However, for British travelers who love to fly, it’s easily the best year since 2019 – a golden year of low fares and great views. I basically flew towards the usual suspects again. In ascending order of frequency, I enjoyed a safe and professional flight with Jet2, British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair. One of them made the “worst flights” list, but only because the plane didn’t take off.
I also experienced many airlines for the first time: HiSky in Romania, Middle East Airlines in Lebanon, and the most noteworthy ones are Global airline launches first flight from Glasgow to New York JFK. I handed over AU$75 (£35) at the Virgin Australia gate – yes, my carry-on luggage was seriously over the limit.
Three worst flights of the year? threesome British Airways, Australia’s Jetstar airlines flights canceled and Spanish airline Vueling. All flights were grounded for a short period of time, and the initial response from airlines was unsatisfactory.
British Airways rebooked me on a Qatar Airways flight via Doha, but a ground handler agreed I should take a direct Singapore Airlines flight to comply with air passenger rights rules. I made it to the city-state in time to catch a Jetstar flight to Melbourne, but the flight was grounded because the pilot fell ill. The message was “Come back tomorrow.”
When ground staff refused to transfer me to sister airline Qantas, I rebooked my ticket at considerable expense Emirates business class – a disappointing experience in itself.
Vueling also offers flights the next day. I first learned that the Barcelona plane was still on the ground in Spain and not heading to Gatwick when my boarding pass did not allow me to pass through the security gate in the South Terminal. I tried to say that the obvious way to comply with the rules of air passenger rights was to book me on a flight from Heathrow on sister airline British Airways. But while the discussion was going on, a seat became available on a later Vueling flight from Gatwick.
Best budget airline flight? I’ve had great experiences with easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair all year round. But it’s the Wizz Air flight that stands out the most, and is also the longest flight from the UK. In November, I was looking for a new route to Delhi, India, and settled on Wizz Air, which flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The plane was packed with people, almost all Muslims, on their way to the holy city of Mecca for the hajj. The six-hour journey was peaceful and comfortable. I enjoy chatting with my traveling companions. But what impressed me most was the extraordinary grace and respect the crew showed to their passengers.
I continue my journey from Jeddah air india Fly to Delhi overnight. The economy class ticket was £150 and the airline offered an upgrade to business class for about the same price – so I went with that. Now I’d like to have a beer and get out of Saudi airspace, but the Jeddah route was “dry” from start to finish.
My best flight of the year also happened to be Air India: AI169 from Amritsar to London Gatwick Airport December 5th. Almost everything was enjoyable, starting with the fare: £224 for an 11-hour flight.
Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple, is an ideal place to start your journey – an autorickshaw ride to the airport costs about a fifth of the cost of a Gatwick drop-off and offers a final slice of Indian life. Amritsar Airport is spacious and modern, but also friendly and calm.
After take off the crew were lovely and the food was delicious (I avoided alcohol as it was a daytime flight). I had three seats in the back of the Boeing 787, which is every economy class passenger’s dream.
shortcoming? Well, due to bad relations between India and Pakistan, there was no approach to Gatwick for the first hour – flying south to avoid Pakistani airspace. And the in-flight entertainment system didn’t work on many seats, including mine.
An Air India spokesperson told me: “These old aircraft came to Air India when Air India was privatized in 2022 and we realized there were some issues. As part of the airline’s transformation plan, all 26 old B787-8 aircraft are undergoing a retrofit program that will be completed by mid-2027. Progress has already begun and the first two retrofitted B787-8 aircraft will return to service in February 2026.”
Gatwick in the rain was slightly inferior to Amritsar in the sun, but the super-fast pilot guided us to Sussex Airport in advance. This was one of those rare flights where I was on the train leaving the arrival airport right before the plane was about to land.
Wherever you fly in 2026, I wish you a safe landing.