Ryanair pilot warns Brits of potential flight delays over summer holidays

A Ryanair pilot has lifted the lid on why the budget airline’s passengers continue to face delays when jetting away on holiday and will do so this summer.

A report published earlier this month by the Civil Aviation Authority showed flight punctuality at UK airports was significantly below pre-pandemic levels last year, despite a surge in air fares.

The figures show that 64% of flights from various airlines departed or arrived within 15 minutes of the scheduled time in 2023. Although that is up from 63% during the previous 12 months, it’s still down from the pre-coronavirus level of 75% in 2019. According to the data, in the final three months of 2023, 66% of Ryanair flights arrived or departed within 15 minutes of their scheduled time.

A veteran pilot said they believe Ryanair’s tight turnaround times could be a factor in unexpected wait times. They said: “Most of my delays involve Ryanair’s 25 minute turnarounds. That is a ridiculously short time to: disembark passengers; clean the cabin; fuel the aircraft; prep the flight plans, performance calls etc for the return journey; board the passengers.”

Two pilots in a plane cabin

They added: “Also, it is especially difficult to make this schedule if disabled passengers are on board. The Ryanair schedule is so tight that there is no scope to recoup any delays that have occurred earlier in the day. On a regular basis I am waiting more than 15 minutes, sometimes hours, for the ‘early shift’ aircraft to arrive back at base so that I can start my late shift. Ryanair cram so many flights into a day, and often fly us close to the FTLs (Flight Time Limits) – that delays just compound over the day.”

The aviator went on to claim that pilots at the airline are paid a ‘scheduled hourly rate’, which they believe incentivises Ryanair bosses to cut planned flights times to keep salary costs down. They continued: “Ryanair is constantly trying to reduce the planned flight time of their flights because it saves money on salaries.

“Consequently, if the headwinds are a bit stronger than predicted, or airport traffic is busier than expected, there is next to no flex in the schedule to compensate for any airborne delays – which mount up over the day. Incidentally, if we are delayed – sometimes by several hours – we still only get paid for the planned/scheduled flight time. So zero overtime for working the extra hours.”

As frustrating as the delays might be, customers might reason that risking a short hold-up is worth it to save money on the price of a Ryanair ticket.

The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment.

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