El Prat and Barajas endure the downpour of chaos at European airports

What in a normal summer would have been intolerable for thousands of passengers in El Prat or Barajas passes as a lesser evil in the midst of the air chaos that Europe is experiencing.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
08 August 2022 Monday 17:05
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El Prat and Barajas endure the downpour of chaos at European airports

What in a normal summer would have been intolerable for thousands of passengers in El Prat or Barajas passes as a lesser evil in the midst of the air chaos that Europe is experiencing. The two main Spanish airports have accumulated canceled flights and delays during the summer and their punctuality rates have fallen in the last month, but even so, their situation is far from the crisis experienced by their competitors on the continent. Barcelona and Madrid are trying to resist despite the strikes called at airlines such as Ryanair, whose cabin crew yesterday began a new round of strikes that could last until January 7.

In El Prat, one in three flights suffered delays in July and 1.2% were cancelled, according to data from the consulting firm OAG. The punctuality index was 66.5% last month (latest available data), while in June 69.2% of planes took off on time, and in May, 82.1%. OAG, one of the largest aviation consultancies, considers flights with delays of more than fifteen minutes to be delayed. As for Barajas, the punctuality index has gone from 86.3% in May to 73.3% in July.

In both cases it is one of the best records among European airports of similar size. In Amsterdam only 42.2% of the flights left on time and 3.4% of these have been cancelled; at Heathrow and Gatwick (UK) the picture is even worse for passengers, with a punctuality rate of just 38.9% and 35.3% respectively. In Paris, Charles de Gaulle, 34.1% of the planes took off on time. And so in most countries.

Now, no matter how much the conditions in Spanish airports exceed the competition and the incidence of strikes is low, each plane that stays on the ground, each delay or lost suitcase makes vacations bitter for dozens of people. Yesterday, Barcelona's T2, where Ryanair flies, gathered a small group of people affected by the strike called by the USO and Sitcpla unions at the low cost bases in Spain. “My plane was supposed to leave first thing Monday morning to Stansted and they have canceled it, now they offer me one at night and I have to spend the whole day here with my son, who has several food allergies and can hardly eat anything he eats. they sell at the airport”, lamented Melanie Stevens, a British Ryanair passenger. Some passengers also came to the airline information desks to claim reimbursement for cancellations in July – “by phone or via e-mail it is impossible for them to assist you”, commented a couple whose trip to Cádiz was frustrated last month –. Other passengers claimed to be nervous about the trip: "They have told us that they do not give information about delays or cancellations until we are at the boarding gate, and I need to get to Santiago de Compostela today," explained another passenger.

All in all, most of the flights scheduled in Barcelona by the Irish airline took off normally and the situation in T2 was the usual one at the peak of the summer season. "We have not had any problems on arrival and for the return they have confirmed that the flight leaves on time," said Brian and Leanne, an Irish couple who were returning to Dublin after spending their holidays in Barcelona.

In total, the cabin crew strike at Ryanair led to 10 cancellations and 233 delayed flights across Spain yesterday, according to USO. The strike continues today and will continue until Thursday, and until January 7, they assured from the union.