A NEW online survey for Cirium revealed the impact of flight delays and cancellations and the need for better management of flight disruption, with more communication via proactive flight updates for affected passengers.

A staggering 80 per cent of those surveyed online said they would be likely to use an app, which alerted their friends, family or company about their delay.

In 2018, approximately 3.9 million flights were delayed by over 30 minutes or cancelled globally, affecting over 470 million passenger journeys around the world. Flight delays and cancelations cost airlines in the Middle East and globally over $30 billion a year in lost revenue, in addition to costs borne by their passengers.

Airline flight delays and cancelations are caused by a wide range of factors, such as technical issues with aircraft, bad weather and medical diversions.

The YouGov study conducted for Cirium showed well over a third of people (40 per cent) polled online in the Middle East who had experienced a delayed or cancelled flight, did not find it easy to change their travel plans.

Airlines also had to bear the massive cost of disruption with flight delays and cancelations costing the equivalent of $7 for every departing passenger – slightly less than the net profit per person per departing flight.

The response from Middle East travellers was similar to those from the overall global opinion of those surveyed for Cirium as part of the poll in the UAE, China, the US and the UK. Slightly more global than just Middle Eastern travellers (31 per cent compared to 27 per cent) said they wanted more information about delayed and cancelled flights. Fewer (35 per cent) of those who had experienced a delayed or cancelled flight globally, did not find it easy to change their travel plans compared to Middle East travellers (40 per cent).

Significantly more travellers in the Middle East, 80 per cent compared to 61 per cent on a global level, were interested in using an app, which alerted their friends, family or company if their flight was disrupted.