New research from personal finance portal MoneySmart has revealed the top 12 airlines for flight delays and cancellations, according to 1,700 Singaporean travellers who have flown in the past year (May 2022-23).
Airlines with the most flight delays
According to the customer survey, Air India emerged as the top airline with the highest number of delays, as reported by almost 4 in 5 (78%) respondents who had flown with them.
Air China was second, with 7 in 10 (70%) of respondents reporting a delay with them; while Cebu Pacific Air closely followed in third place, with 69% of respondents encountering delays while flying with the airline.
Singapore Airlines, the national carrier, was reported to have caused delays for almost 2 in 5 (38%) of the respondents who flew with them in the past year. However, they ranked ninth among the top 12 airlines in terms of reported delays.
The most common duration of delays reported by survey respondents was 1 to 3 hours, accounting for 40% of respondents. Nearly two-fifths (38%) of travellers reported experiencing delays exceeding 4 hours.
Airlines with the most flight cancellations
Excluding flight cancellations due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, Air India took the top spot again, with 71% of survey respondents who had flown with the airline reporting experiencing a cancellation.
Cebu Pacific Air followed in second spot, with 65% who had flown with the airline reporting a cancellation with them, while Air China claimed the third spot, with over two-thirds (64%) of respondents reporting cancelled flights.
The survey reveals that the most common wait time for a replacement flight was 1 to 3 hours (27% of respondents).
Compensation for disruption
When it comes to compensation for disrupted air travel, the survey found that on average 42% of respondents who had experienced delays reported not receiving direct compensation from the airline.
Scoot, the low-cost airline owned by the Singapore Airlines group, compensated only around 23% of the surveyed respondents who experienced delays. This places Scoot as the airline least likely to provide compensation for flight delays, leaving 77% of the affected passengers to bear the financial cost.
Compensation for cancelled flights
From the survey, 32% reported not receiving direct compensation from the airline for cancelled flights.
However, survey responses indicated that Air India - the airline with the highest rate of both delays and cancellations - was least likely to compensate for flight cancellations, with 43% of passengers receiving some.
Impact of flight disruptions on travellers
According to respondents who experienced disruptions, 65% now always pre-arrange travel insurance to safeguard against travel disruptions, emphasising the growing recognition of its importance.
Moreover, 39% admitted that the handling of their disruption has made them not want to fly with the airline again, demonstrating a lasting impact of poor incident management on brand trust and customer loyalty.