Least punctual airlines flying out of UK revealed
Vueling Airlines has come top of a list of least punctual airlines flying out the UK, compiled from an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data.
The International Airlines Group-owned carrier’s departures were 31 minutes late last year on average.
Delayed departures for Thomas Cook, which is second on the list, were 24 minutes late on average, followed by Wizz Air (23 minutes), Norwegian Air UK (22 minutes) and Eurowings (22 minutes).
The analysis by the Press Association revealed flights from the UK were delayed an average of 16 minutes.
Vueling said its figures had been affected by industrial action in France, which meant flights had to be re-routed, while Airlines UK said airspace needed to be modernised.
Naomi Leach from Which? Travel said: "It’s completely unacceptable for passengers to be regularly delayed by nearly half an hour. These delays aren’t just an inconvenience but can leave holidaymakers hundreds of pounds out of pocket because of missed connections, transfers and fines for picking up their hire car late.
"The worst airlines need to ensure they have the staff and capacity to run an on-time service – and that they look after their customers if delays do occur."
The research looked at average delays for flights with at least 2,000 departures from the UK. Cancelled flights were not counted.
Ryanair was eighth on the list, with an average delay of 21 minutes; TUI Airways was 12th (18.3 minutes); easyJet UK was 16th (17.6 minutes).
Cathay Pacific was revealed as the most punctual airline, with an average delay to take off of eight minutes.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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