New AirHelp Study Reveals the Scale of 2019 Summer Flight Disruptions

- New data reveals over 11.5 million passengers affected by UK flight disruptions between 1 June and 31 August 2019

- British Airways ranked amongst the worst performing airlines, with 16,000 flights delayed or cancelled during the 3-month summer holiday season

- The global carrier ranks alongside budget airlines easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2.com

LONDON, Sept. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a turbulent summer for UK air passengers, new data released today reveals which airlines' flights were the most disrupted during the summer months.

A study of global flight data by air passenger rights organisation, AirHelp, found that easyJet and British Airways were responsible for the most disruptions during the peak travel season, with thousands of flights delayed or cancelled each week.

Staff strikes and I.T 'glitches'

Between 1 June and 31 August 2019, more than 11,500,000 passengers were affected by UK flight disruptions with tens of thousands of flights delayed or cancelled.

Wednesday 7 August saw a significant spike in travel disruption. Over 470 of British Airways' flights were delayed or cancelled following an I.T. glitch, impacting the journeys of holidaymakers jetting off for the summer break. Even discounting this incident, data shows that an average of 170 British Airways flights were disrupted each day during the summer months with strikes and industrial action continuing to hamper the travel plans of UK air passengers into the Autumn.

The prospect of staff strikes became an all-too-familiar cause for passenger concern this summer. Ryanair was able to minimise disruption when its pilots walked out in August, but data shows the Irish carrier was responsible for 5,300 disrupted flights throughout the summer -  an average of more than 55 per day - making it the fourth worst airline for delays and cancellations.

Customers will forgive airlines if treated fairly

Paloma Salmeron, air passenger rights expert at AirHelp, said: "This study reveals the true extent of the disruptions that air passengers faced during the summer months. Most people will forgive the occasional unavoidable delay or cancellation, provided they are treated fairly, but they should not have to contend with disruption at this scale. We hope these statistics encourage the airline industry to improve."

Air passengers experiencing delayed or cancelled flights can check their eligibility for compensation at the airport or on-the-go, and make a claim in a matter of minutes at www.airhelp.com

Data analysed from 1 June 2019 to 31 August 2019

About AirHelp

AirHelp is the world's largest organisation specialising in air passenger rights, helping travellers get compensation for delayed or canceled flights and in instances of denied boarding. The company also takes legal and political action to support the growth and enforcement of air passenger rights worldwide. AirHelp has aided more than 13 million people, is available in 35 countries and has more than 700 employees.

Methodology

AirHelp has analysed delays and cancellations of over 300,000 flights departing from the UK across 151 airlines. The airlines are ranked by number of delays (over 15 minutes) and cancellations across the 2019 summer period.

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Contact
Emma Allsebrook
airhelp@cubaneight.com
+44(0)1869 715090