In a recent study covering data from January to September, aviation specialists at AirAdvisor have identified the airline considered the least reliable for UK travelers in 2025. Surprisingly, the airline that ranked the lowest for punctuality was TUI, with only 57.5% of its flights departing on time, falling below the 50% mark. Conversely, an unknown airline shared the top spot with Virgin Atlantic for being the most reliable, boasting an 81% on-time departure rate.
TUI, with the poorest performance based on 2025 data, has been labeled as the worst airline for flight delays in the UK. Other major airlines also faced significant delays. Blue Airlines, now defunct, closely followed TUI in tardiness, managing an on-time rate of under 60% in 2025. Swiss Airlines fared somewhat better with around 64% of their flights running on schedule in the same year.
The rankings for the bottom three airlines based on punctuality in 2025 are as follows:
1. TUI
2. Blue Islands
3. Swiss Airlines
Conversely, the top three airlines for punctuality in 2025 were a combination of British Airways, Wizz Air, Emerald Airlines, Lufthansa, and United Airlines; Emirates; and Loganair and Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin Atlantic and Loganair jointly claimed the title for punctuality, with an impressive 81% of flights departing on time in 2025. Overall, the average on-time performance for all airlines stood at 72% during the reporting period.
AirAdvisor’s research focused on the 20 airlines handling the highest passenger volumes at UK airports each quarter, monitoring flight delays based on Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) records. CAA defines a flight as “on-time” if it arrives or departs within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, emphasized that past performance is a crucial indicator of an airline’s future ability to maintain on-time flights. He noted that TUI has historically had poor on-time performance in the third quarter, coinciding with peak holiday season. Despite a slight increase in 2025, TUI’s on-time rate still lags significantly behind Virgin Atlantic and Loganair.
While flight delays and cancellations have decreased in 2025 compared to previous years, many passengers still experience disruptions. Passengers may be eligible for compensation under UK government regulation UK261 for flight delays or cancellations.
The list of worst-performing airlines in terms of punctuality in 2025, based on available data from January to September, is as follows:
1. TUI – 57.5% on-time flights
2. Blue Islands – 59.5% on-time flights
3. Swiss Airlines – 64% on-time flights
4. KLM and Jet2 – 69% on-time flights
5. Ryanair – 70% on-time flights
6. Air France – 71% on-time flights
7. easyJet – 72% on-time flights
8. American Airlines and Vueling – 74% on-time flights
9. Eurowings and Aer Lingus – 75% on-time flights
10. British Airways, Wizz Air, Emerald Airlines, Lufthansa, and United Airlines – 76% on-time flights
11. Emirates – 78% on-time flights
12. Loganair and Virgin Atlantic – 81% on-time flights