Airlines have been accused of 'padding' schedules to avoid compensation payouts for being late
UK consumer group Which? says flight times for airlines like Ryanair are longer than a decade ago.
A UK CONSUMER group has suggested that airlines estimate arrival times to improve on-time performances and ultimately avoid paying compensation to delayed passengers.
Research from Britain-based Which? has suggested that European airlines, including Ryanair, take up to 35 minutes longer to reach certain destinations than they did a decade ago.
The group claimed that this change is a result of airlines “padding” schedules to improve punctuality and ultimately avoid compensation payouts to passengers whose flights are delayed.
Carriers have rejected these claims and blamed the longer flight schedules on other factors like air traffic control strikes.
Based on an analysis of 125 UK routes, Which? said 87% of British Airways flights were slower this year than in 2008. This is compared to 82% of Ryanair flights and 75% of Virgin Atlantic’s routes.
British Airways flights from London to New York, Bangkok and Singapore are all scheduled to take 20 minutes longer this year on average, while Ryanair’s short hop from London to Berlin is scheduled to take 10 minutes longer.
Keith Mason, a professor of air transport management at the UK’s Cranfield University, told Which? that airlines “regularly tinker” with flight schedules to give themselves “wiggle room”.
“The problem for airlines is that if there’s any delay then the knock-on effect through the rest of the flying programme that day is affected,” he told the researchers.
Flight delays
British Airways, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic each told Which? that they are flying aircraft at slower speeds to reduce fuel consumption.
A spokesperson for IAG-owned British Airways told Fora that several factors beyond an airline’s control – like air traffic control strikes and security restrictions on some routes – directly impact flight times.
“What we do is offer our customers accurate information about their flight – which is what they expect from us,” the spokesperson said through a statement.
Ryanair didn’t respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Despite scheduling extra time, more than a quarter of flights into UK airports are delayed, according to a separate report from Which? In 2016 – the most recent year analysed by the group – it suggested that 82% of Aer Lingus flights and 77% of Ryanair flights in UK airports arrived on time.
Under EU rules, passengers can claim up to €600 compensation if their flight is delayed by three hours or more.
Ireland’s aviation watchdog, the Commission for Aviation Regulation, received around 680 complaints last year regarding lengthy delays.
