Revealed: The worst long and short haul airlines for delays

Over 1.3 million customers faced delays of over three hours last year
EPA
Sophie Williams10 September 2018

Around 1.3 million air passengers faced delays by at least three hours last year, according to a new study.

Easyjet, Ryanair and British Airways made up the bulk of the delayed flights during 2017 with more than 630,000 of their passengers delayed.

More than 13,000 flights to and from UK airports were delayed by at least three hours last year, the report by Which? found.

The study separated flights into three categories: short haul, medium haul and long haul.

Easyjet, Ryanair and British Airways made up the bulk of delays
Getty Images

When it came to long haul flights, Norwegian Airways were the most delayed with 2.4 percent of their flights delayed. In second place was Thomas Cook with 1.8 percent of their flights delayed.

While for medium haul flights, Thomas Cook had 1.2 percent of its flights delayed for over three hours with TUI airways coming in second place with 1.1 percent.

Airlines with the most severe delays (in percentages)

Long haul

  1. Norwegian Airways: 2.4
  2. Thomas Cook: 1.8
  3. TUI: 1.6
  4. Air India: 1.5
  5. Air Canada: 1.3

Medium haul 

  1. Thomas Cook Airlines: 1.2
  2. TUI Airways 1.1
  3. Saudi Arabian Airlines 1
  4. British Airways 0.7
  5. El Al 0.7

Short haul

  1. Icelandair 1.7
  2. Aurigny Air 1.7
  3. TUI Airways 1.4
  4. Eastern Airways 1.3
  5. Stobart Air 1.2

 

In the short haul sector, 1.7 percent of Icelandair flights were delayed. Aurigny Air came in second with 1.6 percent of its flights delayed for over three hours or more.

Under EU regulations, passengers are entitled to compensation if they are delayed by more than three hours when flying from the UK or with an EU airline to an EU airport.

Passengers can claim payouts worth between £220 and £360 for short-haul flights and up to £535 for longer flights, depending on the length of delay.

Which? managing director of home products and services Alex Neill said: “Severe delays can be a complete nightmare and totally wreck a long-awaited trip abroad, especially if it means you’re stuck in an airport terminal for hours on end.

"Passengers are often entitled to compensation when airlines get it wrong.

Frustrated passengers: Customers slept on baggage carousels amid disruption at Stansted Airport in July
Twitter/OmarUK

"It is vital that automatic compensation is introduced across the industry so that people no longer have to jump through hoops to get what they are owed."

A spokesman for industry body Airlines UK said: "Long delays affect only a minority of overall journeys and are often due to factors outside of an airline's control.

"When things do go wrong, compensation can easily be claimed directly from an airline when due, and UK airlines have an excellent record of compliance with the rules on compensation and assistance."

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