“Over the past few months, vacationers have been subjected to a barrage of disruptions, and these latest statistics only serve to highlight the need for rapid reform of the travel industry,” says Which?
Wizz Air was the worst airline for delays at UK airports last year, according to an analysis.
According to an examination of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data, its departures were typically 14 minutes and 24 seconds behind schedule in 2021.
The Hungarian airline serves ten airports in the United Kingdom, including Gatwick, Luton, and Cardiff.
Tui ranked second with an average delay of 13 minutes and 18 seconds, followed by British Airways (including BA CityFlyer) in third with an average delay of 12 minutes and 42 seconds.
Virgin Atlantic ranked fourth worst at 12 minutes, followed by Loganair (11 minutes and 30 seconds).
Aer Lingus ranked first in terms of performance, with an average delay of only 3 minutes and 12 seconds.
Budget airlines also performed well; easyJet’s time was 4 minutes and 36 seconds, while Ryanair’s was 6 minutes and 6 seconds.
The PA news agency examined all scheduled and chartered departures by businesses with more than 2,500 flights in its study of CAA data. Not mentioned were flights that were canceled.
In 2021, all airlines had an average delay of eight and a half minutes.
Which? Travel editor Guy Hobbs said: “While these findings are unsettling, the reality for many travelers this summer has been much worse.
“In the past few months, travelers have been subjected to a barrage of disruptions, and these latest statistics only serve to emphasize the need for immediate reform of the travel industry.
“The government must abandon its proposals to reduce compensation for domestic flight delays and cancellations.”
This year, a shortage of airport personnel such as luggage handlers has led to even longer delays for many travelers and the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights.
Gatwick flights were more likely to be canceled in 2022 than those at any other major UK airport.
Stansted flights were the least likely to be canceled.
British Airways was the worst-performing UK airline thus far in 2022, with a 3.5% cancellation rate, compared to Ryanair, which canceled only 0.3% of flights through 10 July.
