Delays and cancellations are arguably the biggest nuisance airlines can create for their passengers. The passenger rights portal Airhelp found that many airlines are falling back into old patterns despite reduced flight operations.

In May 2019, more than 2,8 million passengers were affected by flight cancellations or delays. AirHelp has examined whether it looks similar this year despite Corona and the associated restrictions. For this purpose, the organization for air passenger rights has analyzed the current flight data from May 2021 and compared it with the statistics from 2019. As the analysis shows, travelers will have to reckon with problems again this year. With one indicator, the airlines are even at the same level as in 2019.

A look at the number of flights shows that the travel industry is only just picking up speed. With around 16.000 flights worldwide, five times fewer aircraft are currently taking off than two years ago. This is then also reflected in the total number of passengers affected by delays and cancellations. While more than 2019 million passengers could not reach their destination as planned in May 2,8, it was around 151.000 last month. Compared to the number of total passengers, however, this is 12,6 percent. This means that in May 2021, more than every eighth passenger was affected by delays or cancellations.

“With the resurgence of travel, flight problems are returning. At first one could assume that an improvement is in sight, because in 2019 28 percent of all passengers were affected by problems. With a current share of 13 percent, the delays and cancellations would have halved. Appearances are deceptive, however, as the airlines are currently only using a fifth of their actual capacities. We therefore expect the flight problems to increase the closer we get to normal operations, ”comments Christian Leininger, legal expert at AirHelp.

The airlines are responsible for almost half of all serious flight problems

AirHelp's research shows that in May 2019, as in 2021, every second passenger affected by a delay of more than three hours or a flight cancellation could be entitled to compensation. This means that 50 percent of serious flight problems were caused by airlines - for example due to technical problems or staff shortages - and not the pandemic-related measures or extraordinary circumstances. Two years ago, 124.700 of a total of around 221.700 passengers were affected by problems with the airlines. This May, 5.000 of 8.300 passengers had to contend with delays or cancellations of at least three hours caused by airlines.

“It is a common misconception that all of the delays and cancellations that are occurring these days are the result of the pandemic and travel restrictions. As our data shows, the airlines themselves are often responsible for particularly serious flight problems. With air traffic on the rise again, we advise all passengers planning their summer vacation to find out about their rights. We recommend those who have been affected by flight cancellations since the pandemic, but also within the last three years, to check whether the problems they suffered could entitle the airline to compensation. At AirHelp, we have all the resources to inform passengers about their rights and also to check whether the problems they have experienced could lead to compensation, ”adds Christian Leininger.