Sharp decrease in canceled, delayed flights this year; Damage claims down by nearly half

Air traffic is running much more smoothly this year, with far fewer canceled or delayed flights than in the first half of last year. The number of damage claims related to flight cancelations and delays dropped by nearly half, BNR reports after speaking to claim companies Vlucht-vertraagd.nl, EUclaim, and Aviclaim.

The number of travelers affected by flight delays and cancelations decreased sharply up to and including July, the claim companies told BNR. Aviclaim has seen a 40 percent reduction, and EUclaim also saw a fall. Vlucht-vertraagd.nl told NL Times that they managed to turn a slight increase in claims made.

The overall reduction in claims has been attributed to Schiphol Airport sorting out its staff problems this year. Last year, staff shortages at the Amsterdam airport resulted in hours-long queues and thousands of travelers missing their flights throughout the spring and summer vacations.

But while claims for canceled or delayed flights are decreasing in general, many people are complaining about how their airlines treat them. According to Tom van Bokhoven of Vlucht-vertraagd.nl, problems at airlines were drowned by the massive queues and mountains of left-behind baggage at Schiphol last year. “They didn’t have and don’t have their operation in order either, but they got away with it better last year,” he told the broadcaster.

The entire aviation industry has been struggling with understaffing for years, ranging from baggage handlers to pilots, Van Bokhoven said. The entire sector is stretched thin. And on top of that, technical problems are currently grounding some planes. “If something goes wrong, it will quickly have a domino effect.”