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Jet2 is the most reliable airline to fly with in the UK, according to new industry rankings. AirAdvisor, an air passenger rights company, examined nearly 1.5 million flights across 2023 and 2024 to reveal the carriers least likely to see delays. In the top spot, Jet2’s 0.02 per cent cancellation rate and 67.4 per cent of on-time arrivals in 2024 meant it was crowned the UK’s most reliable airline for the second year. EasyJet ranked second for its dependable performance with a cancellation rate of 1.1 per cent, followed by Virgin Atlantic with an on-time rate of 70.5 per cent. UK flag carrier British Airways came in fourth with a 2.4 per cent cancellation rate across 354,000 flight operations. At the other end of the rankings, recently-disbanded Eastern Airways recorded the highest cancellation rate at 12.2 per cent. According to AirAdvisor, the weeks from mid-December to early January are consistently among “the most delay-prone periods in aviation, with weather, air traffic congestion, and strike action amplifying disruption risk.” Anton Radchenko, aviation expert at AirAdvisor, said: “As Christmas travel ramps up, reliability becomes more than just a number; it is the key to keeping holidays intact. When demand peaks, even small operational inefficiencies can ripple through entire networks. “What we’re seeing in this data is that size doesn’t always equal reliability. Jet2, for instance, operates fewer routes than easyJet or British Airways but achieves cancellation rates that are virtually zero.” 1. Jet2 – On-time rate: 67.4 per cent; cancellation rate: 0.02 per cent 2. EasyJet – On-time rate: 66.1 per cent; cancellation rate: 1.1 per cent 3. Virgin Atlantic – On-time rate: 70.5 per cent; cancellation rate: 1.7 per cent 4. British Airways – On-time rate: 66.8 per cent; cancellation rate: 2.4 per cent 5. Blue Islands – On-time rate: 70 per cent; cancellation rate: 4.3 per cent Read more: This airline has been crowned the best in Europe at the ‘Oscars of tourism’
