Wizz Air named worst for flight delays from UK – 31 airlines ranked
Wizz Air has been named the worst airline for flight delays from UK airports.
The Hungarian carrier left on average 46 minutes and six seconds behind schedule in 2022.
It's the second year in a row the no-frills airline has come bottom of the rankings, but its 2022 delays were three times longer than the previous year.
TUI was the second worst airline, with an average delay of 40 minutes and 18 seconds.
Third was Qatar Airways with 31 minutes and 48 seconds, followed by Turkish Airlines (29 minutes and 30 seconds) and Pegasus Airlines (27 minutes and 18 seconds).
The average delay for these major airlines was 23 minutes.
Norwegian Air Shuttle had the best performance, with its flights leaving on average 13 minutes and 42 seconds behind schedule.
The Civil Aviation Authority has "already raised concerns" about Wizz Air, which operates from eight UK airports - Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, London Gatwick and Luton.
The Press Association analysed data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for all the scheduled and chartered departures from UK airports by airlines that operated more than 2,500 flights in 2022.
May and June were the worst months for punctual flights, according to the data.
Travel chaos erupted last summer as airports and airlines failed to recruit and train enough staff to deal with the return of travel post-pandemic.
There were lengthy queues to drop bags and get through security meaning some people missed their flights, while others saw their flights heavily delayed or even cancelled on the runway.
The CAA wants more powers to hold airlines to account. It can take civil action against airlines but cases can take years to conclude.
Paul Smith, consumer director at the CAA, said "too many passengers faced disappointing levels of delays" last year.
He added: "The CAA has regularly asked for stronger consumer enforcement powers, including the ability to impose fines on airlines.
"When things do go wrong, we expect airlines to proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are disrupted, as well as offer timely support and assistance.
"We've already raised concerns about Wizz Air and are working closely with the airline to improve outcomes for consumers."
NimbleFins previously looked into hand luggage size requirements for the 10 biggest airlines operating from the UK and found Wizz Air had one of the strictest limits for free bags, just behind Ryanair.
A spokesman for Wizz Air told NimbleFins it has seen delays reduced by 40 percent this year. He said: “At Wizz Air, we do everything possible to ensure that passengers reach their destination on time and with minimal delay. We invest heavily into time performance, which is key to our ultra-efficient business model.
"A number of issues affecting the global aviation industry contributed to a worse time performance in 2022. These issues resulted from a widespread shortage in staff, in particular within air traffic control, ground operations and baggage handling, security and across airports.
"We are committed to constantly reviewing and refining our processes to mitigate these issues and we have been seeing an overall improvement in the on-time performance of our routes and are confident our passengers are seeing this too. The duration of Wizz UK flight delays have reduced by more than 40 per cent on 2022 levels this year, to 26 minutes on average, marking a significant improvement from our 2022 average of 46 minutes.”
Worst airline delays
Wizz Air: 46 minutes and six seconds
Tui: 40 minutes and 18 seconds
Qatar Airways: 31 minutes and 48 seconds
Turkish Airlines: 29 minutes and 30 seconds
Pegasus Airlines: 27 minutes and 18 seconds
Flybe: 26 minutes and six seconds
Air Portugal: 25 minutes and 48 seconds
Air Canada: 25 minutes and 18 seconds
British Airways: 23 minutes
Vueling: 22 minutes and 12 seconds
Ryanair: 22 minutes
Loganair: 22 minutes
Jet2.com: 21 minutes and 42 seconds
Air France: 21 minutes
Swiss Airlines: 20 minutes and 48 seconds
Emirates: 20 minutes and 36 seconds
EasyJet: 20 minutes and 24 seconds
Lufthansa: 20 minutes
Eurowings: 19 minutes and 24 seconds
Virgin Atlantic: 19 minutes
KLM: 18 minutes and 30 seconds
Delta Airlines: 18 minutes and 18 seconds
Aer Lingus: 18 minutes and six seconds
Eastern Airways: 17 minutes and 30 seconds
American Airlines: 16 seconds and 48 seconds
Blue Islands: 16 minutes and 42 seconds
Aurigny Air Services: 16 minutes and 30 seconds
Iberia: 15 minutes and 36 seconds
SAS: 14 minutes and 30 seconds
United Airlines: 14 minutes and six seconds
Norwegian Air Shuttle: 13 minutes and 42 seconds
(Figures for 2022)
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