A new research released by personal finance portal MoneySmart has revealed the top airlines for flight delays and cancellations according to Singaporean travellers. Travellers have seen an even greater increase in flight disruptions in recent years. In the past 12 months alone, Singaporeans searching for ‘travel insurance claim’ online has risen by 401% according to Google Trends data pulled on 30 May 2023.
The survey conducted by MoneySmart included more than 1,700 Singaporean adults 18 years and older who had travelled by air between May 2022 and May 2023. Amongst the respondents surveyed, 58% said they had experienced a flight delay and 40% said they had experienced a cancellation.
The findings revealed that Air India had the highest percentage of customers experiencing delays, with nearly 78% of respondents reporting delays and 71% reporting cancellations. Air China ranked second, with 70% of respondents reporting delays, while Cebu Pacific Air closely followed in third place with 69% of respondents encountering delays.
Singapore Airlines was ranked ninth, with delays reported by 38% of respondents. The most common duration of delays reported was between 1 and 3 hours, accounting for 40% of respondents. Additionally, 38% of travellers reported experiencing delays exceeding 4 hours.
Top 12 Airlines with the most delays experienced by Singaporean travellers
(not based on airline submitted on-time performance statistics. You can check out the Cirium 2022 winners of the 2022 Annual Review here)
| Airline | % of passengers who experienced a delay |
|---|---|
| Air India | 78% |
| Air China | 70% |
| Cebu Pacific Air | 69% |
| Bangkok Airways | 62% |
| Air Asia | 47% |
| China Airlines | 46% |
| British Airways | 46% |
| All Nippon Airways | 43% |
| Singapore Airlines | 38% |
| Philippine Airlines | 38% |
| Scoot | 37% |
| Japan Airlines | 37% |
Hence the importance of getting travel insurance when you travel. Compensation from disrupted air travel may not come directly from the airline, according to some 42% of respondents who experienced delays reported. Low cost carrier Scoot compensated only around 23% of surveyed respondents who experienced delays, placing Scoot as the airline least likely to provide compensation for flight delays, leaving 77% of the affected passengers to bear the financial cost.
We took a look at Scoot’s website for their flight delay and cancellation options.
For controllable flight delayed (flight retiming of 4 hours or more) or cancelled less than 24 hours before departure, below options will be provided.
1. Rebook, at no additional charge, to another flight between the same origin and destination operating within fourteen days of the original flight.
2. Receive refund of the unused sector via Scoot travel voucher at 120%* of itinerary cost (excluding any amounts for third party products and services) that can be used towards future travel booked within twenty-four months from the date of issue. The voucher is strictly non transferable.
3. Receive refund of the unused sector to the original mode of payment (excludes uncontrollable delay and cancellation), excluding any amounts for third party products and services.
Refund in the form of Scoot travel voucher, voucher details will be sent to you upon completion within 30 business days.
For all other mode of refunds, Scoot will provide prompt refunds after receiving a complete refund application, within 30 business days or as otherwise required by law or government regulation.
*If your original mode of payment includes voucher payment, please note that the 120% voucher option will not be applicable for the booking amount paid using voucher. All refunds once approved and processed are irreversible. Please note that 120% is also not applicable for uncontrollable flight delay and cancellation.
For cancelled flights, 32% reported not receiving direct compensation from the airline. The survey indicated that Air India was least likely to compensate for flight cancellations, with 43% of passengers receiving some.
Top 12 Airlines with the most Cancellations according to Singaproean travellers
| Airline | % of passengers who experienced a cancellation |
|---|---|
| Air India | 71% |
| Cebu Pacific | 65% |
| Air China | 64% |
| Bangkok Airways | 62% |
| British Airways | 37% |
| All Nippon Airways | 35% |
| Air Asia | 33% |
| China Airlines | 33% |
| Philippine Airlines | 32% |
| Singapore Airlines | 26% |
| Cathay Pacific | 25% |
| Japan Airlines | 25% |
We can fully empathise with travellers who experience flight delays and cancellations. The uncertainty and disruption to travel can be daunting (62% of respondents felt this way). This can be more stressful when it happens when you are not in your home country. The survey shows that 65% of respondents now always pre-arrange travel insurance to safeguard against travel disruptions, emphasising the growing recognition of its importance. More than half (58%) now frequently worry about the possibility of future disruptions, indicating a lingering concern affecting their travel plans. 47% expressed extreme disappointment with their airline’s handling of delays or cancellations, suggesting a call to improve customer service and support during such frustrating circumstances. And when travellers have had a bad experience with the airline’s handling of the disruption, some may not want to fly with them again (39%).
Do share your stories of flight delays and cancellations in the comments below.
Featured image from Depositphotos.com.
