An Airbus A320-214 HB-JXA plane from the company EasyJet on the tarmac at Genève Aéroport, Tuesday June 11, 2024 in Geneva.Keystone
Geneva-Cointrin airport showed the worst performance in Europe in terms of punctuality and reliability of flights during the summer of 2024. EasyJet is singled out as being the main culprit for this situation.
According to data provided daily Time by the company Flightright, Geneva airport stood out as the worst in Europe, recording the highest number of flight cancellations during the summer of 2024. GVA would suffer from its position in the center of Europe :
“Its airport is affected both by repeated strikes by air traffic controllers in France and by staff shortages inherited from the period of the pandemic in German airports”
Oskar de Felice, in charge of legal affairs at Flightright, quoted by Time
Easy Jet singled out
But another reason would be even more important: Geneva is too dependent on the low-cost airline EasyJet, which holds 46.4% of the market share at the end of the lake.
A delay of 35 hours after the scheduled takeoff time is nothing extraordinary at EasyJet, according to testimonies collected by Time. Obviously, these poor results negatively affect the performance of the airport, especially due to the preponderance of the low-cost airline at Cointrin.
During the summer of 2024, 2.55% of flights from GVA did not take off and almost 35% of departures were delayed. In comparison, Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport only suffered 1% cancellations.
Asked by Timethe airport says it is powerless in the face of these poor results:
“Decisions to cancel flights are the responsibility of the airlines. Our efforts focus mainly on the first wave of departures which must take off on time to avoid delays in the morning which would then only increase as the day goes on.
Ignace Jeannerat, airport spokesperson
For its part, Easy Jet posted the worst performance in Europe at Cointrin, canceling 3.6% of its flights. The company defends itself:
“All airlines experienced unprecedented delays this summer due to European air traffic control, caused by a combination of staffing issues, constraints, capacity and adverse weather conditions.”
EasyJet, cited by Time
Reimbursements: a mission impossible?
According to testimonies from injured travelers collected by the Geneva-based newspaper, EasyJet is multiplying stratagems when it comes to compensating them. Although EU rules (EU261) provide compensation for affected passengers, EasyJet often cites “extraordinary circumstances”, such as airspace restrictions, to evade its payment obligations.
Another strategy the airline uses to hinder refunds is to require passengers to fill out an online form. However, many passengers believe that this form is designed in such a way that it generates errors and rejects requests, in order to discourage requests for reimbursement.
The company denies any accusation that it adopts practices to avoid paying compensation. She defends her questionnaire by asserting:
“We have a simple, quick and free online form available to our customers”
(lal)
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