1 IN 4 SCOTS FLIGHTS HIT BY DELAYS
Consumer group demand instant compensation as hold-ups rocket
A QUARTER of flights to three major Scottish airports were delayed in the past year.
Edinburgh airport was worst for hold-ups in the Which? study.
Passengers were kept waiting at least 15 minutes on 27 per cent of its 110,000 flights in 2016-17.
Glasgow, the country’s second busiest airport, ranked second for delays with 25 per cent of nearly 85,000 flights late taking off or landing, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data.
Aberdeen ranked third, with 22 per cent of more than 45,000 flights late.
Glasgow and Aberdeen saw delays increase by two and three percentage points respectively.
Overall, 25 per cent of planes arriving or departing the airports were held up.
Almost 1200 flights were at least three hours late, meaning passengers were entitled to compensation. The airports said delays can be caused by a variety of reasons, some of which are beyond their control such as technical problems, weather or industrial action.
Alex Neill, Which? managing director of home products and services, said: “If you’re unlucky enough to experience a severe delay, compensation is available.
“It’s time airlines started automatically compensating eligible passengers but until then, we urge people to check what they are entitled to.”
An Edinburgh airport spokesman said: “On-time performance is important to our passengers and is a measure that we monitor very closely. Frustratingly, it is mainly affected by factors outwith the airport’s control.
“We work with airline and aviation partners to ensure our collective performance is as good as it can be and that we are in the best position to deal with external issues that affect us.”
A spokesman for AGS Airports, who own Aberdeen and Glasgow airports, said: “On-time performance will always be an area of focus and we will continue to work with our airline partners and handling agents to improve overall levels of efficiency.”