by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:59 PM ET, Mon June 17, 2019
Between overtourism, overcrowding and millions of flight delays, AirHelp is predicting that this summer will be total chaos for air travelers.
The air passenger rights company estimates that there will be more than 2.5 million flight disruptions around the world for 2019 and that as many as four million people worldwide could become eligible for compensation under the European air passenger rights law EC 261 this summer.
"Due to overtourism, a record number of travelers are flying, and from overcrowding at airports to a lack of air traffic control around the world, there will be canceled flights, delays and chaos," said Henrik Zillmer, CEO of AirHelp.
And while it may be some small comfort to receive compensation when things go wrong, AirHelp also suggests that choosing the right airline in the first place can greatly decrease potential challenges.
"Choosing which airline to fly often comes down to cost, but with flight delays and other disruptions increasing year-over-year, choosing the right airline can greatly reduce the risk of disruption," said AirHelp in a statement.
To help with your selection, AirHelp has identified the airlines most likely to get you to your destination on time.
From a pool of 72 of the world's top carriers, AirHelp says the world's top three ranking airlines are Garuda Indonesia at number one with 91 percent of its flights coming in on time (departed and/or landed within 15 minutes of the published times) followed by Greece's Olympic Air in second place with a 90 percent on-time rate and Azul Airlines from Brazil coming in with 84 percent.
In the United States, Delta is the most likely to get you to your destination on time, according to AirHelp. In fact, Americans remaining within the U.S. for their summer travel will be happy to know that surprisingly enough, U.S. airlines ranked reasonably well against its competition around the world.
In addition to Delta making it into the top 10 best performers (with a healthy on-time performance rate of 80 percent) American Airlines came in 20th place and shows a decent rate of 75 percent followed by United Airlines in 25th place at 74 percent.
"For many U.S. travelers, the summer holidays are the highlight of their year, and a lot of time, planning and savings have been invested into them. Any delays that happen will likely cause frustration and disappointment, and for some travelers, these flight disruptions could lead to additional costs and leave a lasting negative impact on their whole trip," said Zillmer. "A smart precaution is to choose an airline that historically has a good rate of arriving on time."
According to the European law EC 261, if your flight is delayed by more than three hours, canceled, or if you are denied boarding, you and any other passengers in your group may be entitled to financial compensation of up to $700 per person, according to AirHelp.
All passengers departing from a European airport are covered under EC 261, and passengers flying into Europe from other worldwide destinations may be covered as well when flying on a European carrier.
Passengers have up to three years to claim financial compensation following a disrupted flight.
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