Vueling voted worst airline for delays

SPANISH based low cost airline Vueling has been voted the most delayed airline in flights from the UK to Spain in a recent study by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) 

On average during 2018, flights between the UK and Spain were 31 minutes late, putting them on top of the pile of least punctual airlines. Thomas Cook came in second with an average of 24 minutes and third place was Whizz Air with 23 minutes.

The survey studied 43 different airlines and recorded over 2,000 flights that took place last year.

A spokesman for Vueling explained the large delays were due to extremely high periods of strike action across French airspace, meaning flights to their Barcelona hub had to be diverted.

During 2018 there were 22 strikes in Marseille in total, leaving the carrier to find a longer route than normal between Barcelona and UK airports.

“All airlines have been affected by air traffic control issues in Europe, but the location of Vueling’s (Barcelona) hub close to Marseille means it has been particularly badly affected.”

He also added that Vueling are putting measures into place to limit the delays caused by industrial action such as allocating up to 10 extra aircraft to operate during strike periods.

Delays in flights can leave tourists hundreds of pounds out of pocket with missed connections, extended car hire periods and hotel booking issues. There are also not the compensation measures in place like there is on the rail networks.

Passengers can claim for delays of over 15 minutes when travelling by train, however by air, compensation can only be sought after three hours.