Summer 2025 Travel Guide: AirHelp reveals top UK airports and destinations to avoid disruptions
Flight punctuality during July and August of 2024 at less than 60%
More than 775,000 passengers departing from UK were eligible for compensation
London Gatwick ranked as the most disrupted UK airport in summer 2024
London – 25 June 2025 – As the summer holiday’s approach and families from across the UK prepare to take trips abroad, AirHelp, the leading travel tech company supporting passengers with flight disruptions, has analysed recent summer tourism trends to uncover which routes and airports are most likely to offer a disruption-free experience.
AirHelp analysed flights from across July and August of 2024 to reveal which airports and destinations achieved the most consistent service across the busiest two months of the year. During this period, over 115,000 flights departed from UK airports, carrying 30 million passengers, with 42% suffering from a disruption.
The worst affected airport was London Gatwick, which saw 53% of its passengers disrupted across July and August of 2024, and nearly 55,000 delayed longer than three hours – the threshold for compensation under the UK 261 regulation. Including cancellations, disruption at London Gatwick left nearly 150,000 passengers eligible for compensation across the summer travel season.
Under UK 261, the United Kingdom’s air passenger rights regulation, passengers are entitled to financial compensation if they experience delays of more than three hours, cancellations less than 14 days before departure, or denied boarding due to overbooking - provided the airline is at fault.
In addition to London Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow airports recorded 42% and 41% of passengers respectively being disrupted between July and August 2024. When compared to the quieter months of February and March in the same year, Heathrow recorded 23% of its flights being disrupted, and Stansted just 16%. This surge in disruption during the summer period highlights the knock-on effect of more than one million extra passengers per airport in the two months reviewed.
For passengers looking to minimise the chances of disruption, data showed that some of the most punctual routes in Europe departing from the UK include the flight from Durham to Amsterdam, with 91% of flights arriving on time. This was followed by Liverpool John Lennon to Alicante, with 88% on-time arrivals. Another notably reliable route was from Dyce Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol, where 83% of flights were punctual.
Conversely, routes to key European destinations such as Greece are more likely to see disruption during the summer months. Flights from London Gatwick Airport and Manchester International Airport to Diagoras Airport saw just 23% and 27% of passengers fly on time, with flights to Chania International Airport from London Gatwick Airport recording just 15%.
Apart from destinations in Greece, routes which recorded high disruption for their passengers included London Gatwick Airport to Naples Airport, which operated with disruption for 70% of UK travellers, as well as to Bari Palese Airport, which saw a 65% disruption rate. London Heathrow Airport to Cote D'Azur Airport also recorded that just under half of its flights operated with disruption, with 49% of its passengers not on time.
Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, comments: “AirHelp has one of the most reliable and accurate collections of flight data in the world. This helps us provide holidaymakers with a calculated analysis of which airports and destinations performed well during the summer months of 2024. With flight disruptions continuing to rise in 2025, there is some concern that summer travel will once again worsen, and knowing which airports and destinations are likely to remain disruption-free, gives passengers the best chance of enjoying a smoother air travel experience.”
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About AirHelp
AirHelp is a travel tech company tackling flight disruptions. Since 2013, it has won compensation for over 2.7 million passengers with a flight delay or cancellation. 10 million passengers have protected their flights with AirHelp+ Protection, and countless millions more benefit from the expert information freely available on www.airhelp.com/en-gb/. AirHelp has also just released its new app, which offers real-time flight tracking, disruption alerts, and options for extra protection, download it here!
AirHelp is dedicated to investing in a greener future – it has pledged to plant 1 tree for every 100 flight disruptions and so far, it has planted 108,324 trees. As air passenger rights advocates, AirHelp cares about people, and caring about people also means caring about the planet.
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With innovative artificial intelligence and a dedicated team of over 400 AirHelpers, AirHelp makes it easy for any traveller in the EU, UK and beyond to receive up to €600 for flight delays and cancellations. For more information about AirHelp, visit: www.airhelp.com/en-gb/.