Hays Travel Named Third in UK Customer Satisfaction Index
Sunderland-based holiday company Hays Travel has been ranked third in one of the UK’s most respected customer satisfaction league tables, outperforming almost 300 online and high-street organisations in its first year of inclusion.
The independent travel business was beaten only by high street favourite John Lewis and banking giant first direct in the latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), published by The Institute of Customer Service. The biannual index ranks the UK’s 272 highest-rated organisations across 13 sectors and is widely regarded as the national benchmark for customer satisfaction.
Dame Irene Hays, owner and chair of Hays Travel, attended the launch of the January 2026 UKCSI results, where she joined a panel discussion chaired by Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service, alongside Chris Pitt, CEO of first direct.
Reflecting on the achievement, Dame Irene said:
“I’m very proud of all our people for their work to achieve this. Making sure our customers are cared for is at the heart of our business success. We are delighted to secure third place in our very first appearance on the UK Customer Satisfaction Index.
“Hays Travel has a long-held reputation for providing exceptional service, and we know how important the care, professionalism and expertise of our people are to our customers.”
Jo Causon praised the company’s performance, saying:
“Being ranked third in the January 2026 UK Customer Satisfaction Index is a strong endorsement of Hays Travel’s continued commitment to putting customers at the heart of the business. In a highly competitive sector, this result reflects the organisation’s focus on trusted advice, personal service and consistently delivering experiences that build confidence and loyalty among customers.”
First launched in 2008, the UKCSI provides an independent and consistent measure of customer satisfaction, enabling organisations and consumers alike to track and compare performance across the UK economy.
In the latest rankings, first direct topped the index with a score of 87, followed by John Lewis on 86.4 and Hays Travel close behind on 86.2. Other organisations in the top 10 included Nationwide Building Society, Jet2Holidays.com, Starling Bank, PetPlan, Tesco Mobile, PayPal, Holland & Barrett, and both M&S and M&S Food.
Further underlining its standout performance, Hays Travel also claimed the top spot among 22 online, retail and hospitality businesses in the tourism category. Competitors in the sector included Airbnb, Premier Inn, On the Beach, Trivago, Hilton, easyJet Holidays and Expedia.