Summer Travel Chaos: AirHelp predicts millions of flight delays

AirHelp offers valuable information to passengers who are planning air travel, such as information about which airlines have the best success rate when it comes to being on time. Choosing which airline to fly often comes down to cost, but with flight delays and other disruptions increasing year-over-year, choosing the right airline can greatly reduce the risk of disruption as well as the associated stress and extra costs.

From a pool of 72 of the world’s top airlines, the world’s top three ranking airlines were Garuda Indonesia at number one with 91% of its flights coming in on time (departed and/or landed within 15 minutes of the published times) followed by Greece’s Olympic Air in second place with a 90% on-time rate and Azul Airlines from Brazil coming in with 84%.

Henrik Zillmer – CEO of AirHelp – says, “For many U.S. travelers, the summer holidays are the highlight of their year, and a lot of time, planning and savings have been invested into them. Any delays that happen will likely cause frustration and disappointment, and for some travelers these flight disruptions could lead to additional costs and leave a lasting negative impact on their whole trip. A smart precaution is to choose an airline that historically has a good rate of arriving on time.”

Americans remaining within the U.S. for their summer excursions will be happy to know that – surprisingly enough – U.S. airlines ranked reasonably well against airlines around the world. Delta made it to the top ten with a healthy on-time performance rate of 80%. American Airlines is in 20th place and shows a decent rate of 75% followed by United Airlines in 25th place at 74%.

Summer is coming – and that means disruptions

Carefully choosing your airline could prevent flight-related frustrations this summer, especially with experts predicting a particularly chaotic season for travelers.

Zillmer expressed concern over what this summer brings: “Due to overtourism, a record number of travelers are flying, and from overcrowding at airports to a lack of air traffic control around the world, there will be cancelled flights, delays, and chaos.”

If a flight disruption occurs, it pays to know your rights, compensation eligibility and services you are entitled to

According to the European law EC 261, if your flight is delayed by more than three hours, cancelled, or if you are denied boarding, you and any other passengers in your group may be entitled to financial compensation of up to $700 per person. All passengers departing from a European airport are covered under EC 261, and passengers flying into Europe from other worldwide destinations may be covered as well when flying on a European carrier. Passengers have up to three years to claim financial compensation following a disrupted flight.

In addition, if you are stranded at an airport for more than two hours due to a disruption, you have the right to care. This means that airlines are obliged to provide passengers with meals, drinks, access to communication, and accommodation when needed.