Being the 3rd largest UK aviation group, which operates flights to more than 70 European destinations, Jet2 also ranks 10th among the 20 world’s best budget airlines in 2023, outpacing EasyJet and Ryanair.
The carrier served over a hundred million passengers in 607,359 flights during the period from 2013 and 2023 and was repeatedly recognised as one of the most punctual airlines in Europe. However, this does not shield Jet2 from occasional cancellations and delays, which cannot but affect passenger experience. With that in mind, it’s crucial to know that whenever a flight disruption occurs, Skycop will uphold your rights and help you get the Jet2 compensation you deserve.
We have crunched the numbers to provide you with a better understanding of Jet2 flight delays and cancellations over the period from 2013 to 2023. These stats reveal how the patterns of flight disruptions transformed throughout the years, what caused the changes, and how things are going now. This will help you assess the chances of whether your next trip with Jet2 will be smooth.
Statistical analysis
The average punctuality for the UK’s airline network dropped from 80% to 68.1% during the period from 2013 and 2023, and Jet2 followed this trend as well, while the number of cancelled flights was significantly lower throughout the years. Check out more stats below.
Annual trends in flight delays and cancellations
Seasonal variations in delays and cancellations
Although the number of Jet2 flight disruptions fluctuated throughout each year, there was a slight deterioration in the airline’s performance during peak travel seasons. So, about 40% of summer trips were delayed because of the tight flight planning when the carrier was operating at its full force to serve an increased number of holiday flights. Cancellations, in turn, were mostly caused by a shortage of crewmembers as well as poor weather conditions, like thunderstorms, rain, or heavy winds. Spring, autumn, and winter prove to be more favourable for smooth travelling since the percentage of Jet2 flight disruptions dropped nearly in half during the off-peak seasons, primarily because of bad weather, ATC strikes, and staffing issues.
Most affected routes and destinations
Due to a substantial UK issue with ATC in August 2023, Jet2 cancelled more than half (20+) of its flights scheduled for August 28th and 29th, mainly to Majorca, Crete, and Ibiza. The most affected airports included Manchester and Leeds. At the end of July and in August, the routes to Catania-Fontanarossa Airport in Italy were called off due to a fire, while Jet2 also cancelled and delayed flights from Heathrow Airport on 27th - 28th December in 2023 because of Storm Gerrit.
However, the greatest number of disruptions was recorded in 2020 due to a surge of the coronavirus pandemic, when the carrier was forced to cancel all flights to Spain, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands between March and May in response to the travel restrictions imposed by the local government. Moreover, Jet2 cancelled all flights up to March 25th 2021 due to the UK-wide ban on holiday travel.
Comparison with industry averages
According to a 2023 survey of over 8,000 Which? members, Jet2 beats such premium carriers as British Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa in terms of passenger care. The airline also showed a higher on-time performance rate than the network average, so its OTP reached 77% at the end of 2023, compared to the 68.1% industry average.
Jet2 holds the title of Which? Travel Brand of the Year 2023 and was also called the UK's most punctual airline of July - August 2022 – a period of major industry disruption due to staff shortages and different operational challenges. Whereas other airlines had to call off hundreds of routes, Jet2 became the only carrier to get through the peak summer months without a single cancellation. For comparison, British Airways grounded 3.60% of flights, while Wizz Air – overwhelming 19.80%. Jet2 increased its performance to serve all the passengers and even had the busiest weekend in its history, operating over 800 flights on 23rd - 24th July.
Factors influencing delays and cancellations
Factors affecting Jet2 flight delays and cancellations throughout the last decade were extremely diverse and can be divided into three categories:
External factors:
\- weather conditions (summer storms, thick fog, heavy rain, icing, wildfire, Storm Kathleen, Storm Gerrit, etc.)
\- air traffic control issues (tech failures in ATC computer system, ATC strikes, etc)
\- geopolitical events (Russian invasion of Ukraine)
Internal factors (lack of crew, low route demand, issues with airport infrastructure, mechanical problems)
Regulatory and legal impacts (travel restrictions due to coronavirus outbreak)
Implications and Consequences
According to the econometric estimations, Jet2 flight delays and cancellations impact both customer and airline welfare. Besides, the carrier suffers three times more than its passengers, primarily because of the need to pay a bulk of compensation to those affected by flight disruptions. Jet2 states that the claim rate for cash refunds under Regulation 261 is very high – 80% of customers claim for compensation and get their money back as quickly as possible. Hence, the company’s financial losses exceeded £50.0m in 2023 alone.
Even though passengers do not get the expected quality of service when a flight is disrupted, the majority of them agree that they would be more understanding if the carrier sent them an early warning and remained transparent about the reasons. So they can cushion the impact of cancelled or delayed flights and plan their trips more efficiently.
Ongoing operational disruptions and the deterioration of an airline’s on-time performance entail the loss of passenger trust, but it’s not about Jet2 since the operator puts a great deal of effort to increase their punctuality performance and ensure a better passenger experience.
Conclusion
Summing up the Jet2 flight disruption analysis, it’s safe to say that the airline is a solid choice for any traveller who does not want to risk their routes being cancelled or delayed for a long time. Even though its punctuality performance slightly dropped after the coronavirus pandemic, Jet2 remains one of the best UK airlines with a high customer care rate. According to the stats, 2 out of 10 flights are delayed, and less than 1 flight out of 100 gets cancelled, meaning that you are in good hands when travelling with Jet2.
Since the challenges encountered by the aviation industry do not seem to fade away in the following decade, it is important to keep monitoring the airline performance to have a clear idea of how the flight disruption patterns change with time and make more accurate flight predictions to enhance passenger satisfaction.
