Chinese Airlines Were the Worst For Flight Delays in 2016

As millions are expected to visit China in a couple of weeks to celebrate the “Spring Festival”, also known as Chinese New Year, first-time travelers who want to join the festivities may want to set their expectations before booking a flight.

Travelers who hate flight delays may want to avoid booking a flight from the four Chinese airlines ranked by the US-based aviation monitoring company FlightStats as among the world’s worst in punctuality, reported Bloomberg (via Shanghaiist).

The firm’s year-end report, which revealed which airlines had the best and worst records of being on time in 2016, indicated that no Chinese airline made it on the best 10 airlines list this year, yet four of them made it on the worst 10 list.

China Eastern Airlines got the worst punctuality record last year where passengers had a 35.8% possibility of having their flight delayed.

Hong Kong Airlines took the second spot with 33.42%, while Air China and Hainan Airlines followed with a 32.73% and 30.3% chance of delay, respectively.

Passengers who have flown with a Chinese airline may already be used to this and are possibly seeking better alternatives, such as booking a flight earlier with other airlines or just skipping the 2-week festival altogether.

According to FlightStats’ report last year, a third of all Chinese flights were delayed, ranking China’s airlines and airports as the world’s worst in punctuality in 2015. While the factors blamed for the delays have varied, most were delayed due to how the PLA controls China’s airspace.

Based on the review of the world’s 61 largest airports, the seven most consistent with flight delays were all mainland Chinese airports.

Feature Image via Flickr / Aero Icarus

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