The UK’s worst airports for cancellations in 2024 have been unveiled, following a difficult year for the industry who faced challenges from stormy weather to IT failures.
Data from January to November 2024 provided by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was analysed by AirAdvisor. The CAA defines a cancelled flight as: “the non-operation of a previously planned flight, announced less than 24 hours before or after its scheduled departure time.”
Southampton Airport topped the list, averaging 3.3% monthly flight cancellations, which spiked at 5.5% in the month of November. London City comes in second with a monthly average of 2.9% of flights cancelled.
AirAdvisor’s chief executive Anton Radchenko gave his take on the figures: “2024 was a challenging year for Southampton Airport. In February, the CAA’s data suggests that cancellations hit 4.9 per cent – planned industrial action by firefighters and technicians was fortunately called off at the last minute. “Stormy weather, snow and fog often result in cancellations, with January and February being notoriously troublesome months for airports due to bad weather.”
Anton also highlighted the importance of passengers knowing their rights in case of a flight cancellation. He advised: “When flights are cancelled, you are entitled to request a seat on an alternative flight to your destination. If your airline can’t rebook you within a reasonable amount of time, then they must find an alternate flight even if this is with a different airline.
“If you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a full ticket refund. Speak to a representative from your airline at the airport, if there is a seat available on another carrier’s flight, they are required to book it for you, at their expense.
“There’s a whole multitude of reasons for flights to be cancelled, which might not always be properly communicated to passengers by airlines, so it’s always worth filing a claim if you are affected.If your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice and you’re flying with a UK or EU-based carrier or within the UK or EU, you may be due up to £520 in compensation.”
Despite the disruptions, some airports, namely Liverpool, Luton, and Bournemouth, achieved months with no cancellations at all. Bournemouth Airport now ranks as the one with the fewest cancellations with an average just 0.04% of flights cancelled each month.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
