Finnair, Worst Airline in Europe is no longer just a headline. It is now backed by data and hard reality. After months of delays, cancelled flights, and rising complaints, the airline has officially hit rock bottom in public rankings. According to a new consumer index, Finnair has been rated the lowest-performing carrier across Europe, and the damage is spreading far beyond public opinion. The financial toll is approaching €100 million, and trust in the brand has cracked open.
The 2025 Flightright Index, released by German outlet Bild, placed Finnair dead last among 20 European airlines, giving it an overall score of just 2.48 out of 5. Its lowest marks came in the reliability category. Finnair received only 1.5 points due to hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights that plagued the year’s second quarter.
Even though the airline showed slightly better performance in processing customer compensation, it still lagged behind nearly every major competitor. Only Ryanair and Vueling ranked lower in that area.
Feyza Türkön from Flightright told Bild, “Finnair is typically seen as a premium airline, but its rating now matches that of budget carriers. It proves that a higher ticket price does not mean better quality.”
This poor ranking arrived during an already difficult chapter for the airline. Finnair cancelled more than 1,300 flights in Q2 of 2025 due to a prolonged industrial conflict with ground handling staff. The strike was organized by the Finnish Aviation Union and lasted for six months before finally coming to a stop in late June. Negotiations with employer group Palta failed several times before any progress was made.
Financial reports released by Finnair show an operating profit of €10.3 million during Q2. That is a steep drop from €43.6 million the same time the year before. The airline said the strike had already cost €51 million in direct losses by the end of June, and warned that full-year losses tied to the disruption could reach €100 million.
In Finnair’s half-year financial update, CEO Turkka Kuusisto issued a public apology. “I want to offer my sincere apologies to every customer whose travel plans were affected,” he said.
Although Finnair claimed that 94 percent of its scheduled flights still went ahead during the strike period, customer experience told another story. The company said internal feedback reports showed record numbers of complaints, mostly linked to refund delays, unanswered requests, and compensation issues.
Jonna Vermilä-Alajääski, head of Finnair’s disruption management team, confirmed the pressure. “This is a level of feedback Finnair has never experienced before,” she said in comments shared with Finnish media.
What was once a trusted name in punctuality and calm Nordic travel now faces a real identity crisis. Travelers have voiced frustration not just about the strike, but about slow customer support, lost connections, and the erosion of Finnair’s service quality over the past year. Earlier complaints focused on fewer meal options and cost-saving moves, but now the anger is more personal and urgent.
Rebuilding that broken trust may be Finnair’s biggest challenge. The travel industry is recovering, and passengers now expect more than just low prices. They want accountability, fast help when things go wrong, and the kind of reliability that used to define the airline.
As CEO Kuusisto pointed out, financial losses can be solved faster than public trust. For Finnair, the path forward may be longer and more complex than expected.
