The worst and best airlines for flight delays from the UK are revealed

13 June 2024 , 07:54

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An investigation found Wizz Air was the worst airline for UK flight delays in 2023 (Image: No credit)

Wizz Air has been named the UK's least punctual airline for the third year running, despite a rise in fares.

The budget airline's departures from UK airports were delayed by an average of 31 minutes and 36 seconds in 2023, according to an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data. This is a reduction of nearly a third compared to 2022, but it still puts Wizz Air at the bottom of the pile for punctuality.

The airline said it has made "significant improvements" but admitted there is "still work to be done". Turkish Airlines was the second worst for delays last year, with an average delay of 28 minutes and 36 seconds. They were followed by Tui (28 minutes and 24 seconds), Air India (28 minutes and 12 seconds) and Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines (25 minutes and six seconds).

Consumer group Which? criticised the situation, saying passengers are in an "outrageous position" of paying record air fares for "unreliable services". At the other end of the scale, Irish carrier Emerald Airlines had the best performance last year with an average delay of just 13 minutes and six seconds.

Virgin Atlantic came in second place with an average delay of 13 minutes and 42 seconds. The analysis, by the PA news agency, considered all scheduled and chartered departures from UK airports by airlines operating more than 2,500 flights, excluding cancelled flights.

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The average delay for all these flights was 20 minutes and 42 seconds, down from 23 minutes in 2022. Wizz Air, which operates from UK airports including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Gatwick, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Luton, has seen a record 62.0 million passengers in the year to March end, despite its poor punctuality. This is a significant increase of over a fifth from the previous year's total of 51.1 million.

Despite the delays, the airline recorded a pre-tax profit of 341.1 million euros (£290.4 million) as ticket sales per available seat rose by 11.2% year-on-year, mirroring fare increases across the sector. Aviation expert John Strickland noted that Wizz Air had "many unhappy customers" in 2022 due to struggles with punctuality, attributing this to the airline being "over ambitious" with the number of flights it could reliably operate post-Covid travel restrictions.

Strickland said the airline has been working hard to improve, implementing measures such as replanning rosters and having more standby aircraft available, but warned that improvements won't be immediate. When questioned on how the airline managed to boost passenger numbers despite the delays, Strickland pointed to factors like competitive pricing and having the most capacity on many routes serving central and eastern Europe.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, said: "These latest delay figures will come as no surprise to travellers, who find themselves in the outrageous position of paying record amounts for air fares and in return receiving unreliable services. Wizz Air recently took the bottom spot in our annual airline satisfaction survey and it's clear its passengers are still having a torrid time."

Boland urged airlines to improve their customer service: "It's time for airlines to get their act together and start delivering the service their customers are paying for including ensuring they're investing properly in their customer service teams. "When delays and cancellations do occur, there can be no justification for airlines failing to meet their legal obligations including promptly refunding or rerouting customers, and ensuring they are offered meals and accommodation as required."

The report by Which? in February found Wizz Air to be the worst airline for passenger satisfaction, with dismal ratings for customer service and seat comfort. Responding to the criticism, a Wizz Air spokeswoman stated: "In 2022, like all airlines in Europe, Wizz Air experienced extraordinary operating challenges driven mostly by the external environment."

"Since then, we have invested more than £90 million to stabilise operations, reduce the number of delays and provide a better experience for customers. "While we saw significant improvements in 2023, there was still work to be done."

"Helping our customers reach their destination is our number one priority and we will continue to invest in our service to ensure they get there on time." She further stated that the airline's current performance is "among the strongest in the entire industry", with a punctuality record that is "the highest among our direct competitors" and "the best flight completion rate in the whole of Europe".

In January, the CAA announced its enforcement action against Wizz Air resulted in the airline paying a total of £1.2 million to UK-based passengers whose financial claims were reassessed after initially being rejected. This included payments for expenses such as replacement flights, food and hotel rooms during disruption.

Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK, a body representing airlines operating in the UK, described 2023 as "an extremely challenging year, particularly over the summer". He explained that many delays were caused by factors outside of airlines' control, such as air traffic control disruption including strikes in France and the National Air Traffic Services meltdown on August 28 which grounded flights across UK airports.

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He added that airlines are confident their operations are "in a pretty good place" and punctuality has "continued to exponentially improve" this year.

This is the full ranking of airlines based on UK flight punctuality in 2023. Airlines are ordered from the longest average delay per departing flight to the shortest (duration in brackets).

1. Wizz Air (31 minutes and 36 seconds)

2. Turkish Airlines (28 minutes and 36 seconds)

3. Tui (28 minutes and 24 seconds)

4. Air India (28 minutes and 12 seconds)

5. Pegasus Airlines (25 minutes and six seconds)

6. Air Portugal (23 minutes and 48 seconds)

7. Vueling Airlines (23 minutes and six seconds)

8. Swiss Airlines (22 minutes and 48 seconds)

9. Air Canada (22 minutes and six seconds)

10. British Airways (21 minutes and 36 seconds)

11. EasyJet (21 minutes and 30 seconds)

12. Aurigny Air Services (20 minutes and 48 seconds)