Most delayed flight routes of the summer revealed
Although the summer of 2017 was mostly defined by fun in the sun for British holidaymakers, there were also plenty of delayed flights that caused air passengers to wait for hours. On the upside, long delays often result in a nice amount of compensation as stated in EU Regulation 261/2004. EUclaim has listed the most delayed international routes of the summer of 2017.
Barcelona, Madrid and New York top the delay charts
For holidaymakers flying to Spain the chances of suffering a long delay were the highest. Especially the route Barcelona – London Gatwick was delayed 18 times for more than 3 hours between June and September. Followed by London Gatwick – Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga – London Gatwick and London Gatwick – Palma de Mallorca, the Spanish destinations and London’s second largest airport were in the top 10 at least 5 times!
| Rank | Flight route | Times delayed > 3 hours 01 June – 31 August 2017 |
| 1 | Barcelona – London Gatwick | 18 |
| 2 | London Gatwick – Madrid | 17 |
| 3 | London Heathrow – New York JKF | 16 |
| 4 | Hong Kong – London Heathrow | 15 |
| 5 | London Gatwick – Barcelona | 15 |
| 6 | Malaga – London Gatwick | 14 |
| 7 | Shanghai – London Heathrow | 14 |
| 8 | Venice – London Gatwick | 14 |
| 9 | London Gatwick – Orlando | 13 |
| 10 | London Gatwick – Palma de Mallorca | 13 |
London Airports most affected by delays
Noticeably London Airports London Gatwick and Heathrow were most affected by the delays regarding UK Airports. For Heathrow the explanation is most logic because of its tight planning. A slight delay has a continuous effect on flights to follow. Hong Kong’s route to Heathrow was affected by a typhoon this summer. The high number of delays on the Shanghai-Heathrow route suffered a large impact by ATC restrictions in China.
London Gatwick is mostly used for holiday flights in the summer. The high number of delays are most noticeable on flights to summer destinations such as the south of Spain and Italy.
Was your holiday flight delayed?
If your holiday was affected by a flight delay you could be entitled to compensation of up to €600! EUclaim handles flight delay claim since 2007 and has access to a database that reviews more than 13 million flights every day and combines them with weather and press related data. Check your entitlements in our claim calculator and we give you free and instant advice on your rights!
