Flight delays are getting worse — but why?

In June this year, air traffic returned to pre-pandemic levels – an increase of about 5% from 2024, according to Eurocontrol. But as Anthony, a former UK ATC operator, pointed out, it’s hard to quantify ATC success in terms of productivity. Missing out on compensationIf your flight’s ever been delayed by more than three hours, you may have been entitled to compensation. A Department for Transport study in 2021 found that 85% of delayed flights could have been eligible for compensation, while NATS told us that in the past month, 99.2% of UK flights had no NATS-attributable delay. So, while airport infrastructure and better staffing could alleviate delays, NATS told us in the past month that 99.2% of UK flights had no NAT-attributable delay.