Flying feels like swallowing your heart every time the plane lifts off—that moment when gravity releases its grip and you’re suspended between earth and sky, trusting strangers with your life. Most flights end with nothing more dramatic than stale pretzels and a bumpy landing. But some airlines carry stories that stick to your ribs like truck stop coffee at 3 AM—the kind of tales that make you double-check your booking confirmation and maybe pack an extra prayer.
7. Air India
Air India flies planes with expired safety equipment like serving week-old sushi—technically possible, but probably not advisable. The AI 171 crash in June 2025 involved a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, while other aircraft flew with life rafts overdue for inspection by 48 hours. Some planes skipped critical checks for over three months, the maintenance equivalent of ignoring that check engine light until your car dies on the highway.
The Tata group acquired Air India in 2023, promising improvements that haven’t materialized like a mirage in the desert. Allegations suggest maintenance budgets were slashed while falsified reports allegedly hid safety lapses. The takeover was supposed to fix decades of problems, but some issues run deeper than surface repairs can reach.
6. China Airlines
China Airlines handles customer service like a broken vending machine—it takes your money but doesn’t deliver what you expected. Lost luggage incidents occur frequently and get resolved about as quickly as climate change negotiations. Staff responses feel mechanical and detached, like talking to a GPS that’s given up trying to help you find your destination.
Skytrax scores dropped from 7.9 in 2018 to 6.4 in 2024, a decline steeper than your hopes after seeing airplane food. Passengers report rigid and unhelpful attitudes from crew members who seem trained in the art of professional indifference. Customer satisfaction ratings tell a story of an airline that’s forgotten passengers are people, not cargo with feelings.
5. Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines once wore its safety reputation like a well-tailored suit, but recent years have left that suit looking rumpled and stained. The ET302 crash in March 2019 involved another Boeing 737 Max 8, triggering investigations that exposed cracks in their foundation deeper than potholes on a back-country road.
Customer service has declined like a song played too many times—passengers report treatment that ranges from dismissive to downright disrespectful. Lost luggage incidents stretch for months, and reaching their call centers feels like trying to contact aliens. Schedule changes hit travelers like plot twists in a bad movie, leaving passengers stranded with nowhere to go and no one to call.
4. Aeroflot
Aeroflot carries nearly a century of history, some of it heavier than others. Founded in 1923, the airline’s past includes an accident record that reads like a cautionary tale written in Cyrillic script. A flight attendant recruitment scandal in 2017 damaged their public image like spilled red wine on a white tablecloth.
Sanctions imposed in 2022 created challenges that ripple through operations like cracks in ice. Aircraft are reportedly being cannibalized for parts, a practice that compromises safety protocols more than a doctor performing surgery with borrowed tools. International reports criticize maintenance approaches that fail to meet established safety standards, while staff morale likely plummets faster than a dropped phone.
3. American Airlines
American Airlines operates like that friend who always shows up late with a half-hearted apology and a Starbucks cup. Over 60% of travelers express concerns about their reliability, and those concerns have teeth. Internal reports revealed maintenance crews rushing through inspections like they’re speed-dating aircraft parts. Staff left tools in critical areas—the aviation equivalent of leaving your keys in the freezer after a long night.
The Christmas 2024 system outage grounded 900 flights, stranding passengers like ornaments on a tree nobody wanted to decorate. Customer service feels like shouting into a void that occasionally shouts back about baggage fees. The Department of Transportation slapped them with a $4.1 million fine, while the NAACP flagged discrimination concerns that hang in the air like turbulence you can’t shake.
2. Air France
Air France operates under a cloud of strikes that roll in more regularly than Pacific Northwest rain. The AF447 crash in 2009 still haunts public memory like a song you can’t get out of your head. Pilots, cabin crew, and ground staff protest frequently, leaving passengers stranded at airports like extras in a disaster movie nobody wants to star in.
Customer service feels mechanical and detached, while EU compensation claims get disputed like parking tickets from a corrupt cop. A June 2024 incident in Istanbul involved 24-hour delays, and lost luggage problems persist like that friend who never returns what they borrow. Staff reportedly exhibit the warmth of a broken refrigerator, treating passengers like inconveniences rather than customers.
1. Lion Air
Lion Air’s story reads like a thriller where the plot twists keep getting darker. Flight JT610 crashed in 2018, a Boeing 737 Max 8 that went down shortly after takeoff—the kind of headline that makes your stomach drop faster than a broken elevator. Investigators found a misinstalled sensor and insufficient pilot training, a combination more dangerous than texting while driving in a thunderstorm.
The EU banned Lion Air from 2007 to 2016, which should tell you something about their safety standards. They lack FAA certification, meaning they can’t fly commercially in the US—like being banned from the coolest restaurant in town, except the stakes involve human lives. Their maintenance practices were described as “sloppy,” which isn’t exactly the adjective you want associated with aircraft safety.
