The low-cost carrier says it has made “significant improvements” but admits there is “more work to be done”.
Friday 14 June 2024 7:55 AM UK
Wizz Air has been named the UK’s worst airline for flight delays for the third year in a row as passengers landed on an increased fare.
The low-cost carrier’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 by the PA news agency.
Turkish Airlines had the second worst punctuality last year with an average delay of 28 minutes and 36 seconds.
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Wizz Air said it had made “significant improvements” but admitted “work still needs to be done”.
The analysis covered all scheduled and charter departures from UK airports by airlines operating more than 2,500 flights. Canceled flights were not included.
The next worst airlines for delays were:
• Tui – 28 minutes and 24 seconds
• Air India – 28 minutes and 12 seconds
• Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines – 25 minutes and six seconds
• Air Portugal – 23 minutes 48 seconds
• Vueling – 23 minutes six seconds
• Switzerland – 22 minutes 48 seconds
• Air Canada – 22 minutes six seconds
• BA – 21 minutes 36 seconds
Consumer Group Which? said airline passengers were in the “outrageous position” of paying record air fares for “unreliable services”.
The best performer last year was Irish carrier Emerald Airlines with an average delay of just 13 minutes and six seconds, followed by Virgin Atlantic with 13 minutes and 42 seconds.
The average delay for all flights was 20 minutes and 42 seconds, up from 23 minutes in 2022.
Wizz Air’s UK operations serve Aberdeen, Birmingham, Gatwick, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Luton.
Despite its poor punctuality record in the UK, the airline, which operates in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and other parts of Asia, carried a record 62 million passengers in the year to the end of March, up more than a fifth. a total of 51.1 million in the previous 12 months.
In the same period, Wizz Air posted a pre-tax profit of €341.1m (£290.4m) as its revenue from seat availability grew by 11.2% year-on-year, which was similar to the increase in fares across country. aviation sector.
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Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “These latest delay figures will come as no surprise to travelers who find themselves in the outrageous situation of paying record sums for tickets and receiving unreliable service in return.”
He added: “It’s time for airlines to get their act together and start delivering the service their customers pay for – including ensuring they invest properly in their customer service teams.
“When delays and cancellations occur, there can be no excuse for airlines not fulfilling their legal obligations – including quickly refunding or re-routing customers and ensuring they are offered food and accommodation as requested.”
“Extraordinary Operational Challenges”
Wizz Air was in the annual report Which? released in February, with survey respondents giving it an average of one out of five stars for customer service and seat comfort.
A spokeswoman for Wizz Air said: “In 2022, like all airlines in Europe, Wizz Air experienced extraordinary operational problems caused mainly by the external environment.
“Since then we have invested more than £90m in stabilizing traffic, reducing delays and providing a better customer experience.
“Although we have seen significant improvements in 2023, there is still work to be done.
“Helping our customers get to their destination is our number one priority and we will continue to invest in our services to ensure they get there on time.”
It added that the airline’s current performance is “among the strongest in the industry” with an on-time record that is “the highest among our direct competitors” and “the best flight completion rate in the whole of Europe”.
Coercive measures
In January, the CAA said its enforcement action against Wizz Air had resulted in the airline paying a total of £1.2 million to UK passengers whose financial claims were reassessed after they were initially rejected.
This included payments of money owed for expenses such as replacement flights, meals and hotel rooms during the breach.
Dale Keller, chief executive of the UK Airline Representatives Board, the body representing airlines operating in the UK, described 2023 as “an extremely challenging year, particularly in the summer”.
He said many of the delays were caused by factors beyond the carriers’ control, such as air traffic control disruptions including strikes in France and the collapse of the National Air Traffic Services on 28 August, which ended flights through British airports.
He added that punctuality “continued to improve exponentially” this year.