Revealed: The airlines most likely to ruin your Christmas, according to a survey by Which? ranking of 35 major airlines in terms of punctuality and cancellations – and that’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 trouble 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

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 4.2 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.

‘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.”