Revealed: The airlines most likely to ruin your Christmas, with a study by Which? ranking 35 major carriers for punctuality and cancellations – and it’s not good news for BA passengers

The airlines most likely to spoil a Christmas holiday by having late departures or cancellations have been revealed – and it's not good news for British Airways passengers.

That is according to a Which? study that analyzed the on-time and cancellation statistics of 35 major airlines to see who will have no problem getting passengers home for Christmas.

The first ranking is based on the number of flights delayed by more than 15 minutes, and the second on the number of flights canceled less than 24 hours before departure in the past 12 months, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). ).

It suggests that British Airways (BA) is one of the worst airlines for last-minute cancellations, with 3.3 percent of its flights canceled less than 24 hours before departure. And its subsidiary BA Euroflyer ranks last in terms of punctuality.

Meanwhile, Etihad seems to be the best choice: it is the only airline that scores high marks for punctuality and has no last-minute cancellations.

PUNCTUality

The airlines most likely to spoil a Christmas holiday by leaving late or being canceled have been revealed – and it's not looking good for British Airways passengers

BEST AND WORST AIRLINES FOR PUNCTUality

1= Etihad: 85 percent of flights depart on time

1= Iberia: 85 percent

2. Finnair: 80 percent

3. KLM: 79 percent

4. Aegean Airlines: 78 percent

5= BA Cityflyer: 77 percent

5= Virgin Atlantic: 77 percent

6= American Airlines: 76 percent

6= Norwegian: 76 percent

7= Emirates: 75 percent

7= Icelandic: 75 percent

7= Vueling Airlines: 75 percent

8. Eurowings: 74 percent

9. Aer Lingus: 72 percent

10= Air France: 71 percent

10= Malaysia: 71 percent

10= SAS Scandinavian Airlines: 71 percent

11= Loganair: 70 percent

11= Swiss: 70 percent

12= Jet2: 68 percent

12= Lufthansa: 68 percent

13. Delta: 67 percent

14. United Airlines: 66 percent

15= Singapore Airlines: 64 percent

15= Turkish airlines: 64 percent

16. Wizz Air: 63 percent

17. Ryanair: 62 percent

18. British Airways: 61 percent

19= easyJet: 60 percent

19= TAP Portugal: 60 percent

20. Air Canada: 57 percent

21. Air Malta: 52 percent

22. Tui: 51 percent

23. Qantas: 43 percent

24. BA Euroflyer: 41 percent

On time means you arrive within 15 minutes of schedule. Cancellations are flights canceled within 24 hours of scheduled departure. Data from flights between October 2022 and September 2023. Source: Which?

bAccording to the Which? study.

This is followed by Qantas (23rd, 43 percent); Tui (22nd, 51 percent); Air Malta (21st, 52 percent); and Air Canada (20th, 57 percent).

At the other end of the table, Etihad and Iberia appear to be the most reliable airlines: 85 percent of flights depart on time, putting them joint first.

Finnair is second with an 80 percent take-off on-time score.

The bronze goes to KLM (79 percent); followed by Aegean Airlines (fourth, 78 percent); and BA Cityflyer and Virgin Atlantic (joint fifth, 77 percent).

Ryanair vs easyJet

When it comes to punctuality, it was a neck-and-neck race between budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet.

Ryanair comes in slightly higher at 17th place, with 62 percent of its planes departing on time.

While easyJet is 19th, with 60 percent.

LAST MINUTE CANCELLATIONS

The worst airline for last-minute cancellations is Loganair in 25th place, according to the research, which found the Scottish airline canceled 4.5 percent of flights within 24 hours

BEST AND WORST AIRLINES FOR LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATIONS

1= Etihad: 0 percent

1= Singapore Airlines: 0 percent

2. Emirates: 0.1 percent

3= Aegean Airlines: 0.2 percent

3= BA Euroflyer: 0.2 percent

4= Finnair: 0.3 percent

4= Malaysia: 0.3 percent

4= Tui: 0.3 percent

4= Turkish airlines: 0.3 percent

5. Air Malta: 0.4 percent

6. Jet2: 0.5 percent

7. American Airlines: 0.6 percent

8. Norwegian: 0.7 percent

9= Ryanair: 0.8 percent

9= Virgin Atlantic: 0.8 percent

10= Air France: 0.9 percent

10= TAP Portugal: 0.9 percent

11. Iberia: 1 percent

12. Vueling: 1.1 percent

13= Qantas: 1.2 percent

13= Wizz Air: 1.2 percent

14. Air Canada: 1.3 percent

15= Icelandic: 1.5 percent

15= Swiss: 1.5 percent

16. United Airlines: 1.6 percent

17. Delta: 1.7 percent

18. SAS Scandinavian Airlines: 1.8 percent

19. easyJet: 2 percent

20. KLM: 2.1 percent

21. Lufthansa: 2.5 percent

22= Aer Lingus: 3.1 percent

22= Eurowings: 3.1 percent

23. British Airways: 3.3 percent

24. BA Cityflyer: 3.7 percent

25. Loganair: 4.2 percent

On time means you arrive within 15 minutes of schedule. Cancellations are flights canceled within 24 hours of scheduled departure. Data from flights between October 2022 and September 2023. Source: Which?

The worst airline for last-minute cancellations is Loganair in 25th place, according to the research, which found the Scottish airline canceled 4.2 percent of flights within 24 hours.

That's what the airline said that much of this was due to weather as many of the flights originate from Scottish islands where bad weather is more common.

It also said the figures also include charter flights, which have a higher cancellation rate for a number of reasons, “which disproportionately affects our position in the rankings.”

A total of 3.3 percent of BA flights were canceled at the last minute, putting the country third from the bottom.

Only two airlines – Etihad and Singapore – did not cancel flights at the last minute. This gives them a joint first place in the research

Etihad is the only airline that scores high marks for punctuality and has no last-minute cancellations

YOUR RIGHTS IF YOUR FLIGHT IS DELAYED OR CANCELLED

If your flight is delayed for a long time, you are at least entitled to refreshments, such as food and drinks, and possibly a hotel stay. The airline's responsibilities depend on the duration of the delay and the duration of your flight.

You may also be entitled to compensation, which starts at £220 per person for the shortest flights, rising to £520 per person for long-haul flights.

However, the airline can prevent you from paying compensation if it can prove that the delay was caused by 'extraordinary circumstances'.

The same applies if your flight is canceled less than 14 days before its scheduled departure or if you are denied boarding.

Source: Which?

'That's worse than any other major airline, with the exception of Loganair (4.2 percent) – which had the excuse that many of its flights go to the windswept Scottish islands – and its own subsidiary BA Cityflyer, which has 3.7 percent of flights canceled. ,' Which? commented.

Other low-ranking airlines were Aer Lingus and Eurowings (joint 22nd, 3.1 percent); Lufthansa (21st, 2.5 percent) and KLM (20th, 2.1 percent).

Only two airlines – Etihad and Singapore – did not cancel flights at the last minute, leaving them tied for first place in the survey.

Ryanair vs easyJet

Ryanair is much less likely to cancel flights than easyJet, with just 0.8 percent canceled at the last minute, putting it in ninth place alongside Virgin Atlantic.

By comparison, easyJet canceled two percent of its flights, ranking 19th.

Responding to the findings, BA said it was hit harder than other airlines because it mainly operates from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City, where slots are limited. The British airline also blamed strikes by French air traffic control.

A BA spokesperson said: 'We always work hard to get our customers where they need to be on time.

'Like all airlines, over the past year we have been faced with several factors beyond our control that have had a negative impact on our customers, such as adverse weather conditions and air traffic control strikes.

“We apologize to our customers for any disruptions they may have experienced during these challenging periods and thank them again for their understanding.”

According to the research, eighty-five percent of Iberia flights depart on time

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