Nearly one in three flights to Spanish winter sun destinations delayed
By Neil Kook
Tenerife worst for delays from UK, with Lanzarote, Mallorca, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria close behind
Incredibly one in three (30%) flights to Spanish winter sun destinations is delayed, according to new figures from flightright.co.uk, the consumer portal for air passenger compensation for delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights.
Flights to Tenerife South, Palma de Mallorca, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria have all seen a high number of delays this year.Out of these Spanish winter sun destinations, Tenerife South has the most delays for flights arriving from UK airports. In total, 3003 flights arriving to Tenerife South have been delayed this year, more than triple the amount of delayed flights arriving to Gran Canaria (963).
The number of delayed flights from the UK to Spanish winter sun destinations in 2014 so far are as follows:
1. Tenerife South – 3003 flights
2. Palma de Mallorca – 2315 flights
3. Lanzarote – 1793 flights
4. Gran Canaria – 963 flights
5. Fuerteventura – 752 flights
Flightright calculates that UK passengers flying to these airports are entitled to up to £3.5m in untapped compensation for delayed flights in 2014 so far.
Vitally, delays to these destinations in 2014 were worse than delays to all destinations across Europe this summer. According to flightright, 21% of flights from the UK to all European airports were delayed in the June to August summer period, compared with 30% of flights to Spanish winter sun destinations. Marek Janetzke, Managing Director of flightright, had something to say:
“For many British families, the October half term is a great opportunity to head off to Spain to catch some winter sun. Our data shows that the popular Canary Islands are among the worst for flight delays, which can ruin a holiday especially when travelling with children. UK passengers should be aware that they are eligible to compensation if their flight is delayed by more than three hours. In the UK, passengers can claim compensation up to 6 years after the date of the flight” but added that “Unfortunately most passengers do not know about their rights meaning they are missing out on the compensation they are entitled to.”
The figures referring to Spanish winter destinations are based on a flightright evaluation of flights from the start of 2014 to the end of September leaving from UK airports.