Data Reveals Over 11.5 Million Passengers Affected By U.K. Flight Disruptions Between June 1 And August 31

Following a turbulent summer for U.K. air passengers, new data released today reveals which airlines' flights were the most disrupted during the summer months.

A study of global flight data by air passenger rights organisation, AirHelp, found that easyJet and British Airways were responsible for the most disruptions during the peak travel season, with thousands of flights delayed or cancelled each week.

Between June 1 and August 31, 2019, more than 11,500,000 passengers were affected by UK flight disruptions with tens of thousands of flights delayed or cancelled.

August 7 saw a significant spike in travel disruption. Over 470 of British Airways' flights were delayed or cancelled following an I.T. glitch, impacting the journeys of holidaymakers jetting off for the summer break. Even discounting this incident, data shows that an average of 170 British Airways flights were disrupted each day during the summer months with strikes and industrial action continuing to hamper the travel plans of UK air passengers into the Autumn.

The prospect of staff strikes became an all-too-familiar cause for passenger concern this summer. Ryanair was able to minimize disruption when its pilots walked out in August, but data shows the Irish carrier was responsible for 5,300 disrupted flights throughout the summer -  an average of more than 55 per day - making it the fourth worst airline for delays and cancellations.

"This study reveals the true extent of the disruptions that air passengers faced during the summer months," said Paloma Salmeron, air passenger rights expert at AirHelp. "Most people will forgive the occasional unavoidable delay or cancellation, provided they are treated fairly, but they should not have to contend with disruption at this scale. We hope these statistics encourage the airline industry to improve."

(Source: AirHelp news release)

FMI: www.airhelp.com