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The finances airline Wizz Air was the worst performer for UK flight delays amongst its friends final 12 months, in line with evaluation that has raised contemporary issues about authorities plans to slash buyer compensation schemes.

The Hungarian service – which operates short-haul flights from 10 UK airports together with Belfast Worldwide, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Gatwick and Luton – was discovered to have flights operating a median of 14 minutes and 24 second not on time in 2021, months earlier than the most recent journey chaos took maintain.

Civil Aviation Authority knowledge analysed by the PA Media recognized Tui Airways because the second worst for punctuality on UK-departing flights, adopted by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Loganair.

The finances airways easyJet and Ryanair – two of the most-booked airways within the UK – emerged as probably the most punctual amongst their friends. Solely Eire’s flag service, Aer Lingus, carried out higher, with a typical delay of three minutes and 12 seconds.

General, flight punctuality was higher in 2021 than earlier than the Covid pandemic as a result of journey restrictions that lowered the variety of flights. Nonetheless, the scenario has deteriorated this 12 months, with employees shortages leaving airports and airways struggling to maintain up with a rebound in journey after Covid restrictions have been lifted. The recruitment issues have led to tens of hundreds of flights being cancelled.

Client champions are calling for a U-turn on authorities plans to overtake passenger compensation packages for UK flights.

“Whereas these findings are worrying, the fact has really been far worse for a lot of travellers this summer season,” mentioned Man Hobbs, the editor of the buyer journal Which? Journey. “Holidaymakers have confronted a barrage of disruption over the previous few months, and these newest figures solely serve to underline the necessity for pressing reform of the journey business.

“The federal government should drop plans to slash passenger compensation for delayed and cancelled home flights,” Hobbs mentioned.

The Division for Transport (DfT) introduced in January that it was contemplating overhauling guidelines regarding air passengers’ rights for flights throughout the UK as a part of its post-Brexit reforms.

At present, somebody on an inner flight from Edinburgh to London is entitled to assert £220 as soon as their flight has been delayed by three hours, until it was caused by extraordinary circumstances comparable to dangerous climate.

The compensation payable is mounted and isn’t linked to the worth paid by the passenger. Nonetheless, below the proposed changessum could be linked to the fare, which means a passenger who had paid £50 for a home flight would obtain £12.50 again after a 90-minute delay.

The Division for Transport didn’t touch upon the compensation scheme overhaul, however mentioned it was as much as the journey sector to ensure passengers “might get away on their well-deserved summer season holidays”.

The spokesperson mentioned the federal government had made efforts to assist the business, together with by means of accelerated vetting checks that have been serving to to hurry up recruitment. “These measures are working and flight cancellations have lately fallen again to their 2019 ranges following the adjustments, that are offering passengers with extra certainty,” they mentioned.

Wizz Air was contacted for remark.

Common flight delays from UK airports in 2021

1 Wizz Air: 14 minutes and 24 seconds
2 Tui Airways: 13 minutes and 18 seconds
3 British Airways: 12 minutes and 42 seconds
4 Virgin Atlantic: 12 minutes
5 Loganair: 11 minutes and 30 seconds
6 Air France: 11 minutes and 12 seconds
7 Lufthansa: 10 minutes
8 KLM: eight minutes and 42 seconds
9 Jap Airways: seven minutes and 48 seconds
10 Jet2.com: seven minutes and 42 seconds
11 American Airways: seven minutes
12 Ryanair: six minutes and 6 seconds
13 EasyJet: 4 minutes and 36 seconds
14 Aer Lingus: three minutes and 12 seconds

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