There were over 2,000 flight cancellations across Europe between July 1 and July 15 last year, which made it tough to book flights to preferred vacation spots. Which airlines, though, are the most prone to cancel flights in Europe?
1. Ryanair
If you’re looking for an airline in Europe that actively dislikes its passengers, go no further than Ryanair. CEO Michael O’Leary is so full of arrogance that he makes fun of customers who complain about the company in public.
As the 737Max situation escalated, he also said the airline would not reimburse customers who changed their minds about traveling on the still-unproven plane.
The low prices offered by Ryanair come at a considerable cost to the customer. My personal experience was awful.
The flight I booked was just 30 pounds each, but because we were 10 minutes late checking in, we were charged an additional 55 pounds. So the extra £350 was completely wasted. This was the cost of a flight from Glasgow to Dublin.
Our next flight from Dublin back to Glasgow was delayed by over twenty-five minutes because the flight crew had not shown up. While we were leaving the stairwell, I said that there were some elderly people waiting there. The woman’s response was, “Well, don’t fly Ryanair again.”
Then, after waiting for two hours, we board the plane, where I discover gum stuck to my seat and have to enlist the assistance of two flight attendants because the first lady offered me only a napkin. One of them rolled her eyes and replied, “There’s a different spot,” while the other gave no further explanation. The pilot apologized, “Sorry, but it seems there is no landing team to lead us in,” and we had to wait again when we landed in Glasgow. I’m going to echo the women’s calls for a boycott of Ryanair. That was the worst day of my life.
2. Wizz Air
The process of booking was simple, and the cost was acceptable. To make things easier, we only brought along carry-ons. The flight out to Podgorica was delayed a bit but otherwise uneventful, and the crew seemed nice enough. But on the way back, our flight was delayed five times at the airport before finally being canceled without any explanation.
There was no public wifi at the airport, and my phone had no signal. So, I requested the airport employees for assistance, and they told me to get in touch with Wizz instead. When I finally got through to Wizz, they refunded me for the cost of the flight that had to be canceled but offered me no other help.
Consequently, I had to approach strangers about using their cellphone data as a hotspot so that I could book alternative flights, accommodations, etc. Due to Podgorica’s small airport, we were forced to make an additional stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in order to return home.
Since then, I’ve mailed Wizz a claim; I did so more than 30 days ago, and their website promises that claims are “usually dealt with within seven days, certainly within 30 days.”
I’ve tried reaching out to Wizz in numerous ways, but their employees consistently refused to help, saying they have no idea how to resolve my issue.
Overall, our experience with Wizz has been terrible, and we are now over a thousand pounds poorer as a result of having to rebook flights, hotels, cabs, and more when our original plans fell through. If you must fly, please select a reputable airline that compensates passengers in the event of flight cancellations.
3. TUI Airways
Everything about it was a letdown. Flights going out and coming in were both delayed. Delays of 6 hours going out and 2 hours coming in were mismanaged and poorly conveyed. Although the extra legroom was about par for the course, seat pitches were extremely tight despite the fact that we had paid for them.
We usually fly with low-cost carriers, so this is a big improvement. TUI flights had eight seats per row instead of the standard six, and while I agree that this was a larger aircraft, it still wasn’t enough to make everyone feel comfortable.
4. British Airways
On the 4th of October, we boarded a flight in Edinburgh bound for London, where we changed planes for our final leg to San Francisco. Because of the counter clerk’s attitude, I was ashamed to be British. She was quite unpleasant to be around, constantly yelling and snipping at people.
I spent almost $150 to get two seats on the London to San Francisco aircraft, far in advance of the 24-hour check-in, so that my friend and I could go on an unforgettable vacation to the United States. The moment we stepped foot on the plane, I noticed that the seat I had been assigned was damaged.
The button to operate the recliner had been jammed into the armrest’s frame, rendering it inoperable. The flight attendant was disrespectful and unconcerned when I inquired if there was anything that could be done about the fact that I would have to sit for 11 hours in a seat that didn’t recline.
After a while, the flight attendant said she’d report the problem, but then I noticed that several other seats in the economy section were damaged, too. The attitude of British Airways employees has been appalling. I got off the plane and immediately called British Airways to lodge a formal complaint.
Considering I spent over hundred and fifty pounds on the right to choose my seat. I tried to get a refund for the money I spent on the seat reservation before the 24-hour check-in window but was told that was not possible.
And now they tell me they can’t refund the cost of the ticket even though I had a defective product and unfriendly service? I’ve sent the customer service team four emails, and they still won’t tell me whether or not the faulty seat was reported before I sat in it.
The only thing they’ve offered me is a £50 BA voucher, which I politely declined because I would have accepted it if they had chosen my seats (for example, if I hadn’t paid for the seats before the 24-hour check-in), but not when I had already spent my own money choosing a seat that turned out to be defective.
Given my past interactions with BA, I have decided against utilizing them again. The staff was extremely nasty and useless; being the national airline of the United Kingdom, I was embarrassed by BA’s treatment of passengers.
5. Logan Air
Does this airline ever actually operate flights at the scheduled time? Both my girlfriend and I had flights booked to return from Exeter two days after we left. The return trip was canceled a few weeks later, so she had to rebook with a different airline.
When I checked the flight status on the day I was supposed to be traveling (the day I am writing this review), I discovered that they had rescheduled our trip to the following day without telling us.
My partner had been called to confirm the cancellation of the return trip, but because of a record left in the system indicating that they had previously contacted us, we were never told of the change in date for the travel there.
To sum up, out of two flights booked with this firm, one was canceled, and the other’s departure date was changed. That can’t be a stroke of ill luck. We will be requesting a refund and reimbursement for the unused flight that was booked but is now unnecessary as a result of their negligence.
6. Air France
Our family of four visited Hamburg and Paris in early July. Since our initial flight was delayed by 2 hours and 30 minutes, we missed our connecting flight. After waiting in Paris for over two hours, we finally found someone who took ownership of rebooking our trip.
On the grounds of one of Europe’s busiest international airports, we had a six-hour delay getting to Hamburg, and when we got there, we found out that all five pieces of our baggage had been lost. We reported the incident to the AHL and then drove to our vacation house in our underwear.
Since our luggage hadn’t shown up after 17 days of travel, we had to buy some basics on the spot. On the fourteenth day of the trip, I used the Air France website to file a Claim for the money I had spent on necessities. I filed a claim for lost luggage after 21 days since my bags still haven’t arrived. Three of our five bags arrived at our house after 28 days.
Over three months have passed, and the other two still haven’t shown up. Customer service took forever to respond to and answer basic inquiries about information that had already been sent over, and they still hadn’t compensated us for our trouble. They’ll send you an email claiming you boarded the incorrect plane on the wrong day.
On October 11, for instance, they wrote, “We have been on a journey from Paris to Havana.” The claim for the missing luggage was closed, despite the fact that three items were still missing as of the claim date and had been for more than 21 days.
According to their site, if your bags haven’t shown up after 21 days, they’re lost, and you’re entitled to compensation. Please don’t ever make me fly Air France again.
7. Lufthansa
There is no excuse for the terrible service this firm provides its customers. On my six-day trip to Berlin, I arrived with nothing except my passport. Following the airport’s recommendations to check the internet in order to trace my luggage, I discovered that the website incorrectly claimed that my luggage had been delivered.
The airline I called couldn’t tell me what was wrong and gave me a number to call the delivery firm CLS to figure it out on my own.
So why is that, exactly? I bought a ticket on Lufthansa, dropped off my suitcase at a Lufthansa counter, and even visited the airline’s website to see where it was, and they still don’t take responsibility for it. My flight was delayed by seven hours, and my connecting flight in Munich was full. Ignorance, carelessness, and indifference to the well-being of the passengers!
8. KLM
Since this was going to be such a lengthy trip, I had already booked my ticket and reserved my seats. Extra fees were required to reserve a seat (50 or 60 euros in total). Unfortunately, our entire journey was delayed, and the airline informed us that our outward and return flights would be on different days and at different times.
Admittedly, this was a challenge, but I acknowledge the necessity of some transitions. As a result, I had to rebook my flights and aircraft, and this time I bought fresh seats. It was annoying to have to make modifications with a lead time of more than 6 hours, but life is full of surprises.
But what I don’t get is where the money I used to reserve those first tickets went. I, like everyone else reading this, sought to get my money back (also known as “refunds”), just to find out that it is impossible to do so.
To complete this online form, you will need information that is simply hard to obtain; for instance, your EMD number. I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor.
In a nutshell, you will fail miserably every time. There is no way for you to understand what they want from you because of the complexity of the information requested. Therefore, you will have paid for your tickets twice. Do you really believe you can take my money for reserved tickets, rearrange my flights, and then charge me again for the new seats without giving me any refund?
9. Eastern Airways
The service I received was terrible, and I am quite upset about it. Considering the newly implemented government lockdown laws in the north of England, I was hoping for a little more leeway in changing my ticket.
Though it’s not the airlines’ fault that I can’t get home to see my family, you’d think they’d want to treat their customers well to encourage travel, especially since many airlines are likely having financial difficulties right now. Just keep the £60, but say goodbye to that customer for good.
It’s too bad because the airline offers flight routes in the UK that are quite reasonable and includes a checked bag in the price of the ticket, while most low-cost airlines do not. Plan to start taking domestic flights within the United Kingdom on EasyJet and LoganAir.
10. Jet2.com
A 27-hour delay marred the beginning of our honeymoon. You have been informed that your June 1 Birmingham airport–Turkey flight has been canceled and that you must immediately check into a hotel while you wait for additional email instructions.
We got home after a 30-mile drive since we were assured an email would be waiting for us that night by 7 o’clock. After waiting until 7 o’clock and then 12 a.m. the next morning, the passenger traveled back to the airport and was informed that the flight had been rescheduled for 3:30 p.m.
After a 27-hour delay, I returned home, then drove back to the airport. But by the time my flight took off at 7 p.m., it had already passed 3.30 p.m. Unfortunately, jet2 does not have a customer support department; thus, we are still waiting for a response to our claim after six weeks. Numerous emails have been sent without a reply. This was the reply I received two months later.
“Thanks for contacting Jet2holidays by email. I appreciate you waiting while we looked into this for you, but I apologize for the delay. Even while we make every effort to keep flights on schedule, unexpected events beyond our control sometimes necessitate changing or canceling flights.
“Getting to your accommodation later than intended must have been really upsetting. Despite our website’s disclaimer that we cannot control aircraft delays and hence cannot predict when guests will arrive at their hotel, I can appreciate how stressful this would have been for you two.
Our policy regarding delays is described in greater detail here. Although I am unable to reimburse you for any of the costs associated with missing a portion of your trip or getting to the airport, your travel insurance may be able to. Sincerely Yours, Customer Service Manager.”
Updated information on flight cancellations in Europe
A recent study by Mabrian, a travel intelligence firm, compared the number of flights planned on June 14 to operate between July 1 and July 15 to the number of flights scheduled for the same period as of June 28.
Many airlines are experiencing operational difficulties, such as strikes or price increases, which result in cancellations. Flights that were scheduled but had to be canceled at the last minute are not reflected in the data analysis.
As Marian’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Carlos Cendra put it: “It is quite unusual to see airlines canceling scheduled flights with such short notice, practically weeks before take-off, right at the peak of the summer season. From July 1-15, approximately 2,000 flights in Europe were canceled, and that’s just among the top ten airlines in terms of cancellations.”
According to the corporation, this has never happened before and is a result of the labor issues that airlines and airports are currently facing, which prevent them from returning to 2019 capacity levels.
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