Flights are now taking longer than they did a decade ago – and this is why
FLIGHTS are taking longer than they did a decade ago – with a report claiming that this is to give airlines time to "pad out" their schedules to show they are on time.
An investigation by Which? has found that airlines are adding up to 20 minutes to flight times, which means passenger are spending more time waiting at boarding gates or on the tarmac.
Airlines have strongly denied that they are extending flight times for any reason to do with compensation being claimed on delayed flights.
The investigation found that more than six in ten flights now takes longer than it used to in 2009 – despite flight technology having advanced since then.
Which? states that this is so airlines can “pat themselves on the back for being on time”.
Airlines have said that the reason flights are getting longer is because skies are more congested, and also that flights are now slower to reduce fuel consumption.
The researchers looked at 125 different routes on large airlines in the year 2009, and this year.
87 per cent of British Airways flights are now slower than a decade ago, 82 per cent of Ryanair flights, 75 per cent of Virgin Atlantic flights and 62 per cent of easyJet flights.
Data came from aviation analysts OAG.
The data reveals that Ryanair's flight from London to Berlin now takes ten minutes longer than a decade ago.
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The easyJet flight from London to Berlin now takes an extra 19 minutes.
If you’re headed to New York, Bangkok or Singapore on British Airways then it now takes around 20 minutes longer from Heathrow.
The flight with the longest time added is Virgin Atlantic’s flight from Heathrow to Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, which now takes 35 minutes longer.
Even though flights are now taking longer, all of the airlines, aside from Virgin, are less punctual than they were back in 2009.
EU rules state that passengers can be claim up to €600 (£542) if their flight is delayed by more than three hours.
While Which? raises the point that passengers may think that the added times to flights is to with airlines trying to shirk paying compensation, the airlines all strongly deny this.
A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said: "Which? didn’t have any credible evidence to support this claim and we provided factual and entirely proper reasons as to why flight schedules may vary over time."
Rory Boland, editor of Which? travel magazine, which published the finding, said passengers were “likely to feel that schedule padding is another case of airlines pulling the wool over their eyes”.
He added: “Longer scheduled flight times are likely to mean passengers spend more time sitting around at the gate or on the plane itself, just so the airline can pat itself on the back for being ‘on time’… It could also reduce the instances when an airline has to pay you compensation for a flight delay.”
A British Airways spokesperson said: "A wide range of factors beyond all airlines' control directly impact on flight times, including European air traffic control strikes, airspace management and security restrictions on some routes.
"What we do is offer our customers accurate information about their flight - which is what they expect from us.
"In 2018 we offer our customers more choice, value and convenience than ever before to destinations our customers want to visit and at lower prices. What's more, new technology like mobile boarding passes and biometric boarding gates now make our customers' journeys easier and more punctual."
A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said: “There are many reasons as to why flight schedules may vary, for example increased traffic and congestion at airports, more economical flying regimes, stronger jet streams or different aircraft types.
"Having explained this to Which? we are surprised and disappointed that they published such a misleading report about our flights.”
An easyJet spokesperson said: "We operate in the busiest airports and most congested airspace in Europe and in 2018 easyJet will operate 228 per cent more flights compared to 2009.
“With flight routes and airports getting even busier for all airlines, allowances for factors such as longer taxiing times at airports that have become more congested are considered when publishing flight schedules.
“Our data shows easyJet’s network punctuality was at 80 percent for 2017.
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"We have a continuous focus on punctuality as we know it is important to our customers. Only 0.8 percent of our flights are delayed by more than three hours and we will always pay compensation when it is due."
Ryanair said that it flies at lower speeds so it can reduce fuel consumption, giving passengers lower fares. It said that schedules are: “adjusted up or down at the end of each season to reflect the average flight times recorded”.
Sun Online Travel previously revealed that Luton has been named as the worst airport in the UK for a third year running.