One in three passengers took off late in Europe last year
Staff shortages and strikes caused chaos at European airports. One in three passengers will take off late in 2022, according to AirHelp data. In June and July, even more than 40% of travelers had to deal with flight problems. In Spain, 23% of flights were disrupted, affecting more than 20 million passengers.
Despite the figures, Spain is one of the most punctual countries in Europe. However, of the 94 million passengers who flew from Spanish airports, 23% suffered some kind of flight disruption. However, only 1.5 million people are entitled to financial compensation, according to the EC261 regulation.
Airports such as those of Vitoria or Castellón are among the most unpunctual, with problems in 40% and 35% of their flights, respectively.Palma de Mallorca, being one of the Spanish airports with more air traffic, also increases the rate of interruptions in our country, with 3.5 million passengers affected.
EIN EUROPE
TheUnited Kingdomtop the list of countries with the most passengers affected by flight delays and cancellations. More than 32 million travelers suffered disruptions, 35% of the country's total.
Germany ranks second, with 26 million passengers suffering delays. In Turkey a, more than 22 million travelers were affected (32%), placing the country third in terms of unpunctuality.
With regard to the rate of interrupted flights, the top 3 changes. The highest írate of delays and cancellations in 2022 was recorded in the Netherlands: 34% of flights were affected, harming more than 11 million people. United Kingdom and Ireland are the next European countries with the highest rate of delayed or canceled flights.
Although Spain is positioned as one of the most punctual countries, other countries with less air traffic beat the Spanish figures. This is the case of Lithuania and Estonia, which occupy the top two positions among the most punctual countries, with 21% and 22%.
PASSENGER RIGHTS
When the flight is canceled or the passenger is denied boarding on the plane, airlines must provide an alternative flight that the passenger can refuse if they do not wish to continue their journey. In this case, you can ask for a refund of the full amount of the ticket.
In addition, if during the wait there are extra expenses caused by the interruption of the flight (food, accommodation or those arising from lost luggage), you can ask the company to take care of these.
According to the CE261, which regulates flights departing from or arriving in the EU, passengers are entitled to an additional compensation of up to 600 euros in case of delays of more than 3 hours on arrival at destination;more than 3 hours on arrival at destination, cancellations without prior notice before 14 days prior to the departure date and passengers denied boarding due to overbooking caused by the airline.
The claim for obtaining this economic compensation can be made retroactively up to three years after the flight date.
This claim depends on and may vary depending on the reason for the flight interruption. For example, adverse weather conditions or medical emergencies may exempt the airline from the obligation of compensation.