How these airlines might ruin your Christmas…

Revealed: The airlines most likely to ruin your Christmas, with a study by Which? ranking 35 major carriers for punctuality and cancellations – and it’s not good news for BA passengers

  • Which? looked at the punctuality and cancellation stats of major airline carriers
  • The biggest chance of a failed getaway could be with British Airways Euroflyer
  • READ MORE: I work at the world’s biggest castle and this is what it’s like

The airlines that are the most likely to spoil Christmas getaways by taking off late or being cancelled have been revealed – and it’s not good news for British Airways passengers.

That’s according to a Which? study that analysed punctuality and cancellation statistics for 35 major carriers to see who will get passengers home for Christmas without any hiccups.

The first ranking is based on the number of flights delayed by more than 15 minutes, and the second on the number of flights cancelled less than 24 hours before departure in the past 12 months, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

It suggests British Airways (BA) is among the worst airlines for last-minute cancellations, scrapping 3.3 per cent of its flights less than 24 hours before departure. And its subsidiary BA Euroflyer ranks last for punctuality.

Meanwhile, Etihad appears to be the surest bet – it’s the only airline to score top marks for punctuality and have zero last-minute cancellations.

PUNCTUALITY

The airlines that are the most likely to spoil Christmas getaways by taking off late or being cancelled have been revealed – and it’s not looking good for British Airways passengers 

BEST AND WORST AIRLINES FOR PUNCTUALITY

1= Etihad: 85 per cent of flights depart on time

1= Iberia: 85 per cent 

2. Finnair: 80 per cent

3. KLM: 79 per cent

4. Aegean Airlines: 78 per cent

5= BA Cityflyer: 77 per cent 

5= Virgin Atlantic: 77 per cent

6= American Airlines: 76 per cent 

6= Norwegian: 76 per cent

7= Emirates: 75 per cent

7= Icelandair: 75 per cent 

7= Vueling Airlines: 75 per cent

8. Eurowings: 74 per cent

9. Aer Lingus: 72 per cent

10= Air France: 71 per cent

10= Malaysia: 71 per cent 

10= SAS Scandinavian Airlines: 71 per cent

11= Loganair: 70 per cent

11= Swiss: 70 per cent

12= Jet2: 68 per cent

12= Lufthansa: 68 per cent

13. Delta: 67 per cent

14. United Airlines: 66 per cent

15= Singapore Airlines: 64 per cent

15= Turkish Airlines: 64 per cent

16. Wizz Air: 63 per cent

17. Ryanair: 62 per cent

18. British Airways: 61 per cent

19= easyJet: 60 per cent

19= TAP Portugal: 60 per cent

20. Air Canada: 57 per cent

21. Air Malta: 52 per cent

22. Tui: 51 per cent

23. Qantas: 43 per cent

24. BA Euroflyer: 41 per cent 

On-time means arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Cancellations are flights cancelled within 24-hours of scheduled departure. Data drawn from flights between October 2022 and September 2023. Source: Which? 

BA Euroflyer ranks last for punctuality, in 24th place with only 41 per cent of its flights leaving on time, according to the Which? study.

This is followed by Qantas (23rd, 43 per cent); Tui (22nd, 51 per cent); Air Malta (21st, 52 per cent); and Air Canada (20th, 57 per cent).

At the other end of the table, Etihad and Iberia appear to be the most reliable airlines, with 85 per cent of flights taking off on time – putting them joint first.

Finnair is runner-up with an 80 per cent punctuality score on take off.

Taking the bronze is KLM (79 per cent); followed by Aegean Airlines (fourth, 78 per cent); and BA Cityflyer and Virgin Atlantic (joint fifth, 77 per cent).

Ryanair vs  easyJet

When it comes to punctuality, it was a close race between budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet.

Ryanair comes out slightly ahead, ranking 17th, with 62 per cent of its planes taking off on time.

While easyJet is 19th, with 60 per cent.

LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATIONS

The worst airline for last-minute cancellations is Loganair in 25th place, according to the study, which found the Scottish carrier cancelled 4.5 per cent of flights within 24 hours

BEST AND WORST AIRLINES FOR LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATIONS

1= Etihad: 0 per cent

1= Singapore Airlines: 0 per cent

2. Emirates: 0.1 per cent

3= Aegean Airlines: 0.2 per cent

3= BA Euroflyer: 0.2 per cent

4= Finnair: 0.3 per cent

4= Malaysia: 0.3 per cent

4= Tui: 0.3 per cent 

4= Turkish Airlines: 0.3 per cent 

5. Air Malta: 0.4 per cent 

6. Jet2: 0.5 per cent 

7. American Airlines: 0.6 per cent 

8. Norwegian: 0.7 per cent

9= Ryanair: 0.8 per cent

9= Virgin Atlantic: 0.8 per cent

10= Air France: 0.9 per cent

10= TAP Portugal: 0.9 per cent

11. Iberia: 1 per cent

12. Vueling: 1.1 per cent

13= Qantas: 1.2 per cent

13= Wizz Air: 1.2 per cent

14. Air Canada: 1.3 per cent 

15= Icelandair: 1.5 per cent

15= Swiss: 1.5 per cent

16. United Airlines: 1.6 per cent 

17. Delta: 1.7 per cent 

18. SAS Scandinavian Airlines: 1.8 per cent

19. easyJet: 2 per cent 

20. KLM: 2.1 per cent

21. Lufthansa: 2.5 per cent 

22= Aer Lingus: 3.1 per cent

22= Eurowings: 3.1 per cent

23. British Airways: 3.3 per cent 

24. BA Cityflyer: 3.7 per cent

25. Loganair: 4.2 per cent 

On-time means arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Cancellations are flights cancelled within 24-hours of scheduled departure. Data drawn from flights between October 2022 and September 2023. Source: Which?

The worst airline for last-minute cancellations is Loganair in 25th place, according to the study, which found the Scottish carrier cancelled 4.2 per cent of flights within 24 hours.

The airline said that much of this was due to weather as 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’.

A total of 3.3 per cent of BA flights were cancelled last-minute, placing it third from the bottom. 

Only two airlines – Etihad and Singapore – didn’t cancel any flights at the last minute. This earns them joint first place in the study 

Etihad is the only airline to score top marks for punctuality and have zero last-minute cancellations

YOUR RIGHTS IF YOUR FLIGHT IS DELAYED OR CANCELLED

If your flight has a long delay you’re entitled to, at the very least, refreshments such as food and drink – and potentially a hotel stay. 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, rising 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: Which?

‘That’s worse than any other major carrier with the exception of Loganair (4.2 per cent) – which had the excuse that many of its flights are to wind-swept Scottish islands – and its own subsidiary BA Cityflyer, which cancelled 3.7 per cent of flights,’ Which? commented.

Other low-ranking airlines were Aer Lingus and Eurowings (joint 22nd, 3.1 per cent); Lufthansa (21st, 2.5 per cent) and KLM (20th, 2.1 per cent).

Only two airlines – Etihad and Singapore – didn’t cancel any flights at the last minute – earning them joint first place in the study.

Ryanair vs easyJet 

Ryanair was much less likely to cancel flights than easyJet – just 0.8 per cent were cancelled at the last minute, putting it joint ninth with Virgin Atlantic.

In comparison, easyJet cancelled two per cent of its flights, placing it 19th. 

Commenting on the findings, BA said that it was hit harder than other airlines because it operates primarily from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City where slots are limited. The UK airline also blamed strikes by French Air Traffic Control.

A BA spokesperson said: ‘We always work hard to get our customers to where they need to be on time.

‘Like all airlines though, over the past 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.’

Eighty-five per cent of Iberia flights take off on time, according to the study

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