It can be very frustrating when we arrive at an airport and discover that our flight has been delayed or cancelled. Recently the Civil Aviation Authority released figures highlighting the punctuality and delay rate of 10 of the UK’s busiest airports.Whilst delays are often dependant on weather conditions the slight dips or rise in performance each year can be expected but should still be taken seriously by airports intent on improving their overall services to their passengers.
The table below, released by the Civil Aviation Authority, is the result of its findings comparing 2014 to 2013.
Amongst the figures released it was found that London City Airport came out on top with a punctuality rate of 88% flights on time and the shortest delay time of 7 minutes. A spokesman for the airport said the airport prides itself on their punctuality, stating that the data provided by the CAA proves that flying through their airport saves valuable time for passengers.
Gatwick fared the worst with 74% of flights on time and a delay rate of 15 minutes.Whilst Heathrow have improved over its performance in 2013 it still had the second longest delay time last year of 13 minutes. A spokesman for Heathrow has said that “punctuality will be an absolute focus” and spoke of the higher number of aircraft movements compared to some other airports which should factor into the average of the findings.
London City did come out on top with its punctuality rating but still dropped in performance from 2013, alongside Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.Compared to 2013 Manchester, Newcastle and Heathrow improved their punctuality percentage.
The CAA classifies a plane being on time as one that arrives early or less than 15 minutes late. Time will tell if performance rises next year as airports continue their attempts to improve their passenger experiences.
