a day ago
Thousands of easyJet and Ryanair flights cancelled
More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled with less than 24 hours notice
Figures show thousands of easyJet and Ryanair flights were cancelled "at short notice" as experts moved to find out which airline is most likely to scupper travel plans. According to Which?, between October 2023 and September 2024, easyJet cancelled 0.9% of flights up to 24 hours before planned departure time, while the figure for Ryanair was 0.2%.
easyJet cancelled 1,759 flights with less than a day to go over the time period, while for Ryanair there were 313 cancelled flights in this time bracket. Which? also said that 67% of easyJet flights that did take off departed within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, while the figure was 65% for Ryanair.
The Mirror reached out to both easyJet and Ryanair for comment, and while Ryanair did not provide a statement, easyJet said: "Our focus is delivering a punctual and reliable service for the quarter of a million customers we fly daily from some of the world's busiest major airports.
"This year we are looking forward to biggest ever summer with 100 million passengers are choosing to fly with us this year, and with our customer satisfaction scores up year on year it's clear that our customers value our great value for money and friendly service".
According to Ryanair's website, customers who are informed of a cancellation less than 14 days before departure can change their flight to a new time and/or date on the same route for free, request to be re-routed, or apply for a refund. Information adds: "You may also be entitled to compensation in accordance with the applicable Passenger Rights Regulations.
"Entitlement for compensation depends on the reasons that determined the cancellation. You will not be entitled to compensation if the flight is cancelled for reasons beyond our control, for example, ATC strikes, adverse weather conditions, medical emergencies, etc. which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken."
Similarly, easyJet explains that those whose flights have been cancelled can switch to another flight for free or, if no direct flights are available, can fly to or from nearby airports, or on indirect flights with easyJet. Guidance adds: "Your checked luggage allowance will remain the same and we'll apply this to your new flight.
"If you've paid for a seat, we'll keep you in the same one or as close to it as possible. If you're already at the airport, you'll need to collect any checked luggage from baggage claim and clear customs, then re-start your journey by checking in again with your new booking and re-clearing security.
"Please note that you can only select flights to or from the same countries as you had originally booked." Passengers can also choose an easyJet voucher for the full value of the booking, which is valid for 12 months, or request a refund.
