Travel expert issues warning ahead of millions of flights this bank holiday weekend
Nearly half (49%) of flights disrupted on the Saturday before the August bank holiday last year*
London – 20th August 2025 – With millions of people set to travel for this year’s August bank holiday, new analysis from AirHelp – the leading travel tech company supporting passengers with flight disruptions – reveals the scale of last year’s travel chaos and offers a warning for 2025.
Nearly half (49%) of UK departing flights were disrupted on the Saturday before the August bank holiday weekend in 2024. In contrast, Tuesday 27 August – the day after the bank holiday – was the smoothest travel day, recording the lowest disruption rates across the period (29%).
In total, more than 2.3 million UK passengers had flights scheduled over the bank holiday weekend last year, with 37% of all departures disrupted – equating to over 848,000 affected passengers. The figures serve as a timely reminder for passengers to plan ahead and choose travel days wisely for the upcoming 2025 long weekend.
Amongst the UK’s most popular holiday destination, holidaymakers heading to Cyprus, Greece and Egypt faced high levels of disruption during last year’s August bank holiday weekend, with significant delays and cancellations recorded across these routes at an average of 64% disrupted.
In contrast, flights to Gibraltar, Malta and Bulgaria were among the most reliable (29% disrupted). This trend reflects the combination of high seasonal demand on certain leisure routes and operational pressures on airlines serving popular Mediterranean hotspots.
Airport-level analysis shows significant variation in performance. Exeter Airport recorded the highest disruption rate, with 65% of flights delayed or cancelled and a cancellation rate of 32%. By comparison, Liverpool John Lennon Airport was the most reliable major UK airport during the period, with 85% of flights on time and no cancellations.
Liverpool John Lennon was recently crowned the best UK airport in the AirHelp Score – a global report assessing 250 airports across 68 countries. Each terminal is rated out of 10 based on on-time performance, customer feedback and quality of food and shops.
Tomasz Pawliszyn, AirHelp CEO said: “Thanks to our database - one of the most reliable and accurate collections of flight data in the world – we can provide passengers with insights on airport performance from specific times of the year to help passengers avoid disruptions.”
“If you want to minimise the risk of flight disruption this bank holiday, avoid travelling on the peak days – especially the Saturday. Flying the day after the bank holiday can dramatically improve your chances of arriving on time and stress-free."
“Under UK and EU passenger rights regulations, travellers may be entitled to compensation for long delays or cancellations in certain circumstances. AirHelp advises passengers to check their eligibility before submitting a claim.”
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+, and countless millions more benefit from the expert information freely available on airhelp.com.
AirHelp is also investing in a greener future – it has pledged to plant 1 tree for every 100 flight disruptions and so far, it has planted 102,836 trees. As air passenger rights advocates, AirHelp cares about people, and caring about people also means caring about the planet.
#1 source for flight compensation worldwide
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/.
*UK departing flight data captured between August 23 – August 27 2024, AirHelp Sigma data