Wizz Air Ranked Worst for Delays

Frequent flyers take note: Wizz Air has been named the worst airline for UK flight delays for the third consecutive year. The airline’s departures from UK airports averaged delays of 31 minutes and 36 seconds in 2023, according to a recent analysis. This ranking was based on data covering scheduled and chartered flights but excluded cancellations.

Turkish Airlines and Tui followed closely with average delays of 28 minutes and 36 seconds, and 28 minutes and 24 seconds respectively. This trend of increasing delays coincides with rising airline fares, attributed to higher fuel costs and green taxes.

Despite acknowledging the need for improvement, Wizz Air claims to have made significant progress. However, consumer feedback indicates ongoing issues with the airline’s customer service.

Emerald Airlines stood out as the most punctual, boasting an average delay of just 13 minutes and six seconds, while another well-known carrier followed at 13 minutes and 42 seconds.

Wizz Air’s profitability has soared in line with fare increases, appealing to passengers with competitive prices across popular routes. Operating from multiple UK airports, including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Gatwick, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, and Luton, Wizz Air recorded a passenger count of 62 million in the 12 months leading up to March, marking a significant increase from the previous year.

Despite these operational challenges, industry experts highlighted that many delays were beyond airlines’ control, citing air traffic control disruptions and strikes as major factors. However, there has been a notable improvement in punctuality this year.

For travellers, these findings show the importance of considering both price and punctuality when choosing an airline, especially as operational challenges and external factors continue to impact the industry. It’s little surprise to us that Wizz Air have been ranked the worst for delays. Having flown them twice, we found the poor punctuality eclipses any notional financial savings. Also, be warned that they’re not very responsive to compensation requests!