The worst chance of a failed getaway could be with British Airways. Over the last 12 months, it cancelled 3.3% of its flights less than 24 hours before they were due to depart, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
That’s worse than any other major carrier, with the exception of Loganair – which had the excuse that many of its flights are to windswept Scottish islands – and its own subsidiary BA Cityflyer, which cancelled 3.7% of flights.
Of those BA flights that did take off, just 61% arrived on time. However, another BA subsidiary – BA Euroflyer – was even worse, with only 41% of flights arriving on time.
Only easyJet, of the big UK-based carriers, came close to cancelling so many flights at the last minute – 2%.
Long delays for some BA passengers
The CAA classifies any flight more than fifteen minutes late as not on time. Its figures also break down how late those flights were.
Almost one in 100 (0.9%) of British Airways flights were more than three hours late. A huge 2.4% of BA Euroflyer flights were more than three hours late.
This means that passengers should be entitled to up to £520 compensation per person, unless the airline can prove delays were caused by ‘extraordinary circumstances’ such as extreme weather or air traffic restrictions.
Which are the worst and best airlines for punctuality?
Only 43% of Qantas flights arrived on time and only 51% of Tui’s. Along with BA Euroflyer, they were the worst airlines for punctuality.
In response, Qantas told us that three quarters of its flights had arrived within 60 minutes of the scheduled time, and that it hadn’t cancelled any flights to London. Tui didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Which are the worst and best airlines for last-minute cancellations?
Scottish carrier Loganair cancelled 4.5% of flights within 24 hours but it says that much of this was due to weather. Many of its flights are from Scottish islands, where inclement weather is more frequent. It also said that the figures include charter flights, which have a higher cancellation rate for a number of reasons, ‘disproportionately affecting our position in the league table’.
Four airlines cancelled over 3% of flights within 24 hours of scheduled departure: British Airways, BA Cityflyer, Aer Lingus and Eurowings.
Another three cancelled more than 2% of flights at the last minute: easyJet, Lufthansa and KLM.
Only two airlines – Etihad and Singapore – didn’t cancel any flights at the last minute.
Which is more reliable - Ryanair or easyJet?
Ryanair was much less likely to cancel flights than easyJet – just 0.8% of its flights were cancelled at the last minute. It was also a bit more punctual, with 62% arriving in to the UK on time, compared to 60% with EasyJet.
The official figures from the CAA are very different to Ryanair’s own figures. Ryanair calls itself the ‘on-time airline’ and says that over 80% of its flights arrived on time every month in 2023.
We asked it why the CAA figures for arrivals in the UK were so different. Ryanair didn’t directly respond but said that it had an average on-time performance of 87% in 2023. It added that its punctuality was severely impacted by ‘inefficient’ Air Traffic Control.
It called on the government to take action to ‘stop NATS (National Air Traffic Services) repeated failures that have already caused severe disruption to millions of passengers’.
According to CAA figures, both Ryanair and easyJet were beaten by Jet2, which was on time for 68% of flights and only cancelled 0.5% at the last minute.
EasyJet cancellations from Gatwick
EasyJet told us that it was disproportionately affected because it's the largest carrier to fly out of Gatwick, where there's been a shortage of air traffic control staff.
It added that it had operated more flights over the Christmas period than ever before - flying over 3.2 million customers, including over 200,000 families – to help passengers visit their friends and family.
Airline punctuality and cancellations
undefinedWhat are BA Cityflyer and BA Euroflyer?
BA Euroflyer launched in December last year and now flies to 41 destinations from its base at Gatwick, including popular holiday destinations such as Alicante, Malaga and Tenerife.
Many passengers would be unaware that they are not on an ordinary British Airways flight – but for the name on the ticket. The livery on the planes is the same.
Gatwick Airport's problems with Air Traffic Control staff may also explain some of Euroflyer’s problems with punctuality.
BA Cityflyer specialises in business flights from London City airport but also has leisure routes from Edinburgh, Belfast and other airports. It recently announced that it’s about to begin flights from London Stansted as well.
British Airways response
BA told us that it was hit harder than other airlines because it operates primarily from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City, where slots are limited. It also blamed strikes by French Air Traffic Control.
It said: ‘We always work hard to get our customers to where they need to be on time. Like all airlines, though, over the last year we've experienced several factors outside of our control that have had an adverse impact on our customers, such as adverse weather and Air Traffic Control industrial action. We apologise to customers for any disruption they've faced during these challenging periods and again thank them for their understanding’.
Will your flight be cancelled – or face long delays?
According to our airlines’ survey, the most common reasons given for delays are technical problems to the aircraft, late arrival of incoming planes, air traffic control issues and bad weather.
Your rights if you are delayed or your flight is cancelled
If your flight has a long delay, you’re entitled to refreshments such as food and drink – and potentially a hotel stay, if you get stuck overnight. The airline’s responsibilities depend on the length of the delay and the length of your flight.
You may also be entitled to compensation, which starts at £220 per person for the shortest flights and rises to £520 per person for long-haul flights. However, the airline can avoid paying you compensation if it’s able to prove that the delay was caused by ‘extraordinary circumstances’.
The same applies if your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before the scheduled departure – or if you’re denied boarding.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/will-these-airlines-ruin-your-2024-holiday-ai8Ry3Q7tPel