Survey finds most disrupted passengers arranged onward travel themselves

More than half of passengers whose journeys were disrupted over the summer had to arrange their own onward travel, according to a survey of 1,250 affected travellers in Europe. The poll was carried out by the service provider CMAC Group.

It found that 57 per cent of respondents sorted out their onward transport independently. Among those who needed ground transport, 96 per cent reported at least one problem. Long waits were the most common complaint, cited by 41 per cent, followed by high transport costs at 37 per cent. A further 22 per cent raised safety concerns.

Support offered by airlines was slow for many. Only 19 per cent of passengers who were offered transport and accommodation received it within an hour. Thirty-five per cent had expected help to arrive that quickly.

The survey reports wider effects on travellers. Forty-one per cent described severe stress, 29 per cent reported unexpected expenses and 22 per cent said they lost holiday days.

Loyalty also appears to suffer. About 37 per cent of those surveyed said they intended to fly less often with the same airline following their experience.