The best and worst airlines for cancellations and delays

Cancellations, delays, refunds: when you set off on holiday and take a flight, your journey can turn into a nightmare. The new rules on passenger rights, which have just been approved and are now under consideration by the European Parliament, will come into force next year and will offer greater protection, but the responsibilities often remain complex. Flightright, the European platform dedicated to passenger rights, has analysed twenty airlines across the continent based on criteria such as punctuality, refund policies and the level of assistance provided in the event of cancellations and delays.

The analysis shows that Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Air Baltic occupy the top spots in the rankings, whilst Aer Lingus, Air Europa and Vueling have recorded the least impressive performances, with significantly lower scores. Lufthansa, on the other hand, occupies a mid-table position; although it has some issues regarding reliability, it manages to remain in the middle of the rankings. Commenting on the results is Oskar de Felice, an expert in air passenger rights and legal director at Flightright: ‘The true quality of an airline is perceived by passengers not so much during the flight itself, but in emergency situations. Travellers’ trust is eroded when communication is lacking, support is inaccessible or refunds for delays and cancellations are paid out with excessive delay.’

The handling of refunds is one of the most critical issues for airlines at the bottom of the rankings. In the event of delays or cancellations, travellers expect prompt assistance and clear, transparent information. When this support is lacking and the time taken to receive compensation drags on for months, the initial inconvenience risks turning into a highly negative experience, with inevitable repercussions on the overall perception of the service provided by the airline.

In a survey also conducted by Flightright in collaboration with the OnePoll institute in May 2026, involving a panel of 2,000 passengers from Italia, France, Spain and Germany, it was found that only 29 per cent of Italian respondents said they were fully aware of their rights in the event of a flight cancellation or a delay of more than three hours, whilst over two-thirds did not know what to do or what compensation they were entitled to for inconveniences such as cancellations or delays.

At European level, the right most frequently cited is hotel accommodation in the event of an enforced overnight stay (49 per cent), followed by financial compensation (44 per cent), meals and drinks whilst waiting (43 per cent) and an alternative flight (41 per cent). Even fewer people associate their rights with transport between the airport and the hotel (35%), a refund of the journey (30%) or assistance with communications and phone calls (17%) – all rights that must be guaranteed to passengers in the event of flight delays or cancellations.