Experts have revealed the delays tourists can expect travelling to and from major UK airports, with many popular European holiday destinations amongst those with take-off hold-ups
A study has revealed the popular European destinations where UK holidaymakers are most and least likely to experience delays to their flights.
A new analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data compiled by airline compensation specialists, AirAdvisor, has revealed the average different delay times for popular European holiday destinations based on flights to and from major UK airports in January 2024.
Whilst delays further afield to destinations like Phuket, Thailand, can expect their journey to be delayed by up to 90 minutes, Brits seeking European trips can also expect delays.
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Tourists travelling to Sofia, Bulgaria, can experience 20-minute delays, Marseille, France — 18 minutes and Prague, Czech Republic — 16 minutes. For those travelling to Italy, multiple cities across the country experience delayed flights, including Palermo ( 19 minutes) and Naples (16 minutes).
Flights to and from Turkish airports popular with UK holidaymakers like Izmir (18 minutes) and Istanbul (16 minutes) are also prone to delays.
There are some locations that experience minimal average delays like Palma, Spain (7 minutes), Faro, Portugal (8 minutes), Madrid, Spain (8 minutes) and Alicante, Spain (9 minutes). Travellers heading to Dubrovnik, Croatia, will be pleased to hear the delays expected to flights average at zero minutes.
Anton Radchenko CEO at AirAdvisor explained: “Our analysis highlights the extent to which British air travellers are still being affected by disruption to their travel plans, with average delays to some flights extending to well over an hour.
“These figures are of course averages and many travellers will experience delays of over three hours this summer. If this happens, you are likely to be able to claim between £220 and £520 compensation from your airline for the inconvenience. You are entitled to care in the form of food, drink, and accommodation (for overnight delays) if your flight is delayed for two or more hours.
“If you are affected by a flight being cancelled or delayed more than three hours, I recommend that you use a flight compensation calculator to establish how much compensation you might be due. Airlines might initially try to offer you vouchers, however, we advise our clients to only accept the cash compensation that they are due.”
European holiday destinations with the longest average flight delays:
Tours, France- 29 minutes
Gibraltar – 29 minutes
Chambery, France – 26 minutes
Bucharest, Romania – 21 minutes
Bergerac, France – 21 minutes
Sofia, Bulgaria – 20 minutes
Belgrade, Serbia – 20 minutes
Palermo, Italy – 19 minutes
Budapest, Hungary – 18 minutes
Izmir, Turkey – 18 minutes
Nice, France – 16 minutes
Naples, Italy – 16 minutes
Prague, Czech Republic – 16 minutes
Istanbul, Turkey – 16 minutes
Amsterdam, Netherlands – 15 minutes
Milan, Italy – 15 minutes
Bordeaux, France – 15 minutes
Bilbao, Spain – 14 minutes
Anthens, Greece – 14 minutes
Seville, Spain – 13 minutes
Dalaman, Turkey – 13 minutes
Fuerteventura, Canary Islands – 12 minutes
Venice, Italy – 11 minutes
Rome, Italy – 11 minutes
Barcelona, Spain- 11 minutes
Tenerife, Spain – 11 minutes
Porto, Portugal – 9 minutes
Ibiza, Spain – 9 minutes
Alicante, Spain – 9 minutes
Faro, Portugal – 8 minutes
Santander, Spain – 5 minutes
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