The Best And Worst Airports And Airlines For Delays Now

Anyone taking a trip to Europe this summer could do worse than pay attention to where the delays and hold ups are happening. New data shows some of the best and worst offenders for early July—if there’s an option, it might make sense to change directions and head to some of the best airports listed here.

The worst airports for delays/cancellations in early July

Hopper Inc is an online travel agency which uses big data from the Official Aviation Guide, a leading provider of digital flight information and analytics for airports.

Newly-released data from Hopper provides an up-to-date guide on the worst airports in Europe at present, as reported by Bloomberg:

1. Brussels Airport (BRU), Belgium—72% delayed, 2.5% canceled
2. Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), Germany—68% delayed, 7.8% canceled
3. Eindhoven Airport (EIN), the Netherlands—67% delayed, 1.8% canceled
4. Luton Airport (LTN), U.K.—66% delayed, 2.7% canceled
5. Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD), Hungary—65% delayed, 2.1% canceled
6. Lisbon Airport (LIS), Portugal—65% delayed, 4.8% canceled
7. Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG), France—62% delayed, 3.1% canceled
8. Schiphol Airport (AMS), the Netherlands—61% delayed, 5.2% canceled
9. Cote D’Azur Airport (NCE), France—60% delayed, 3.4% canceled
10. Gatwick Airport (LGW), U.K.—59% delayed, 1.4% canceled

Statistics were taken from 1-9 July and provide an absolute picture of flights, not a relative one. For instance, Heathrow is not on the list, although its delays may have significantly impacted more travelers despite not being as long or onerous.

The best airports for delays/cancellations in early July

And in turn, the best airports can also be identified, using the same data from Hopper:

1. Bergamo/Orio al Serio Airport (BGY), Italy—3% delayed, 1.0% canceled
2. Gran Canaria Airport (LPA), Spain—8% delayed, 0.3% canceled
3. Otopeni International Airport (OTP), Bucharest, Romania—10% delayed, 1.7% canceled
4. Dublin International Airport (DUB), Ireland—15% delayed, 1.6% canceled
5. Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), Catania, Italy—16% delayed, 1.1% canceled
6. Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport (MAD), Madrid, Spain—19% delayed, 0.4% canceled
7. Alicante Airport (ALC), Spain—20% delayed, 3.4% canceled
8. Marseille Airport (MRS), France—20% delayed, 2.0% canceled
9. Orly Field (ORY), Paris, France—21% delayed, 1.2% canceled
10. Malaga Airport (AGP), Spain—24% delayed, 3.3% canceled

Looking at the data, it’s clear that it might make sense, if there’s still time, to choose some of the less-fashionable French airports, such as Marseille and Orly in Paris—over those such as Nice (9th worst) and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (7th worst).

The top ten airlines for cancellations in Europe

Data from Mabrian, the travel intelligence platform, provides an overview of the top ten airlines for flight cancellations currently in Europe:

1. easyJet
2. Turkish Airlines
3. Scandinavian Airlines
4. Wizz Air
5. Vueling
6. TUI fly
7. Wizz UK
8. United
9. Air Europa
10. Saudia

It should be noted that this doesn’t provide the complete picture. easyJet operates far more flights than any other of these carriers so is therefore cancelling fewer flights, if taken as a percentage of their capacity (5.5% of its flights).

Tips to ease the travel chaos

There are several things to ensure the least disruption possible—fly as early in the day as possible, leave a buffer day to catch connections, and be/stay flexible to get there and back. Experts have also warned that it’s best to not travel with checked luggage this summer, if at all possible.

Most of all, purchase good travel insurance for expensive trips. Hopper has seen a 31% increase in travelers adding a Flight Disruption Guarantee to their bookings in recent weeks—if they experience a disruption, travelers can rebook immediately on ANY carrier & get out on the next flight for free, or receive a refund.

A list of current Europe travel restrictions due to Covid-19 can be found here.