Singaporean Travellers Reveal the Airlines with Most Delays and Cancellations in MoneySmart Survey
SINGAPORE,June 29,2023 --New research released today by leading personal finance portalMoneySmarthas revealed the top airlines for flight delay and cancellation according to Singaporean travellers.
Whilst air travel can be notoriously chaotic,travellers have seen an even greater increase in flight disruptions in recent years. In the past 12 months alone,the number of Singaporeans searching for 'travel insurance claim' online has risen by 401%¹.
To understand the issues travellers have experienced with flight disruptions,MoneySmart surveyed over 1,700 Singaporeans who have flown in the past year(May 2022-23) and uncovered the top 12 airlines with the most flight delays and cancellations,according to Sinaporean travellers.
Of those surveyed,Air India topped the list,with almost 4 in 5 (78%) of the airline's customers reporting adelay,while 71% reported acancellation.
MoneySmart uncovers the airlines Singaporean travellers say they've experienced the most disruptions with and how this affected their travel experiences:
The airlines with the most flight delays,as reported by survey respondents
According to the customer survey,Air India emerged asthe topairline with the highest number of delays,as reported byalmost 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.
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.
The top 12 airlines with the most delays according to Singaporean travellers:
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%
The airlines with the most flight cancellations,as reported by survey respondents
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,with 65% who had flown with the airline reporting a cancellation with them.
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).
The top 12 airlines with the most cancellations according to Singaporean travellers:
Airline
% of passengers who experienced a cancellation
Air India
71%
Cebu Pacific Air
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%
Compensation for disruption
When it comes to compensation for disrupted air travel,the survey findings shed light on the following key insights:
Compensation for delayed flights:
On average,42% of respondents who had experienced delays reportednot 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 providecompensation for flight delays,leaving 77% of the affected passengers to bear the financial cost.
Compensation for cancelled flights:
32% reportednot 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 - wasleast likely to compensate for flight cancellations,with 43% of passengers receiving some.
The percentages of disrupted Singaporean travellers surveyed who received compensation from the top 12 most delayed and cancelled airlines:
Delayed travellers
Cancelled travellers
Airline
NET % compensated
Airline
NET % compensated
Air China
71%
Air China
74%
Bangkok Airways
66%
Singapore Airlines
73%
British Airways
64%
Bangkok Airways
59%
Singapore Airlines
62%
Cathay Pacific
56%
China Airlines
57%
Philippine Airlines
56%
All Nippon Airways
53%
China Airlines
54%
Air India
48%
British Airways
53%
Japan Airlines
44%
Cebu Pacific Air
51%
Air Asia
33%
Air Asia
50%
Philippine Airlines
30%
All Nippon Airways
50%
Cebu Pacific Air
27%
Japan Airlines
46%
Scoot
23%
Air India
43%
According to respondents who experienced disruptions,the result of flight delays and cancellations has appeared to have a longer-term impact on travel behaviours:
65% now always pre-arrange travel insurance to safeguard against travel disruptions,emphasising the growing recognition of its importance.
62% found their experience to be stressful,substantiating the emotional toll such incidents can have on travellers.
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.
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.
Abel Lee,Singapore General Managerat MoneySmart said,"Flight delays and cancellations have an immense impact on one's travel plans.
"Planning for the perfect holiday could all come to waste if we fail to account for these potential risks.
"Our survey has uncovered very recent negative experiences by modern travellers,and we recognise the critical role travel insurance plays in mitigating these risks.
"Travel insurance offers a peace of mind,ensuring that unforeseen disruptions are met with comprehensive support and financial protection that one may not necessarily receive from airlines.
"We believe that every traveller should enjoy a worry-free travel experience."
For more information and to view the full findings and methodology of the survey,please visit:https://www.moneysmart.sg/travel-insurance/flight-cancellations-delays-singapore-ms
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Accompanying infographics may be downloaded here.
Survey Methodology
Research conducted on behalf of MoneySmart by Savanta amongst 1,730 Singaporean adults (aged 18+) who had travelled in the past year. The survey was carried out online between 5 – 15 May 2023.
Amongst all respondents surveyed,58% said they had experienced a flight delay,and 40% said they had experienced a cancellation.
All data is based on the experiences,perceptions,and reports of the Singaporean travellers from the above survey group.
Appendix
¹ Google Trends data pulled on 30/5/23 from this page.
About MoneySmart Group
MoneySmart Group is one of Southeast Asia's largest personal finance portals,helping millions of people on their journey to achieve their financial goals.
MoneySmartprovides a financial comparison and content platform for consumers to make informed product choices across a range of banking,insurance and investment products. We do the hard work of compiling the information and facts to make it easy for you to compare and choose what's best for you.
Under our Bubblegum brand,we aim to create desirable insurance products and experiences and to become the winning digital insurance brand of the future.
For more information,please visit www.moneysmart.com.
