Singaporean Travellers Reveal the Airlines with Most Delays and Cancellations in MoneySmart Survey

SINGAPORE, June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New research released today by leading personal finance portal MoneySmart has 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 a delay, while 71% reported a cancellation. 

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 as the top airline with the highest number of delays, as reported by almost 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:

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:

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 reported not 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 provide compensation for flight delays, leaving 77% of the affected passengers to bear the financial cost.   

Compensation for cancelled flights:

• 32% reported not 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 - was least 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: 

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 Manager at 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 

If you choose to run this story, please link back to: https://www.moneysmart.sg/travel-insurance/flight-cancellations-delays-singapore-ms 

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.

MoneySmart provides 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.