Airlines ‘pad out’ schedules to avoid paying compensation
The majority of flights are taking longer than a decade ago, as airlines 'pad out' schedules so that more flights are classed as on time.
An investigation by Which? has found that flights are taking longer than they did a decade ago, despite advances in aviation technology.
Airlines are adding up to 20 minutes to their flight times in order to “pad out” their schedules so that their flights are on time.
The extra time that is added to flight schedules means passengers spend longer sat at the gate or on the tarmac, but the airline gets to report that more of its flights arrived on time.
“Longer scheduled flight times are likely to mean passengers spend more time sitting around at the gate or on the plane itself, just so the airline can pat itself on the back for being ‘on time’,” says Rory Boland, editor of Which? travel magazine.
“It could also reduce the instances when an airline has to pay you compensation for a flight delay.”
Under EU rules passengers can claim up to €600 if there flight is delayed by more than three hours.
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Majority of flights now slower
The Which? investigation found that six in ten flights now take longer than in 2009. 87% of British Airways flights are slower, 82% of Ryanair flights, 75% of Virgin Atlantic flights and 62% of easyJet flights.
Flying from London to Berlin takes 10 minutes longer than a decade ago if you fly with Ryanair, and 19 minutes longer with easyJet.
British Airways has added 20 minutes to its flights from Heathrow to New York, Bangkok or Singapore.
The longest time added to a flight is 35 minutes for Virgin Atlantic’s passage from Heathrow to Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey.
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All four airlines have denied that they are padding out their schedules, instead arguing that flights have got longer because of more congestion in the skies and because planes go slower to reduce fuel consumption.
“There are many reasons as to why flight schedules may vary, for example, increased traffic and congestion at airports, more economical flying regimes, stronger jet streams or different aircraft types,” a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic told The Sun.
Even if the aim of the longer flights is to build flexibility into the schedules so that more flights are deemed to have landed on time, it isn’t working.
British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet are all less punctual now than they were a decade ago, only Virgin Atlantic has improved.
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