Research compiled by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the third quarter of 2022 has singled out the industry leader for complaints –Wizz Air.

Between July and September, an average of 811 in one million passengers in the United Kingdom launched claims against the Hungarian low-cost carrier for delays and cancellations, nearly three times higher than competitors easyJet and Ryanair.

“Unacceptable behavior”

In a statement posted last week, the CAA criticized Wizz Air for its excessive levels of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) complaints and backlogged claims payments. For just Q3, Wizz Air passengers were awarded £53,376 ($64,500), averaging around £635 per claim. However, the CAA claims the carrier has been dragging its feet with processing each claim directly and paying separate County Court-ordered Judgements (CCJs).

“Passengers have every right to expect their complaints and claims to be resolved quickly and efficiently and to be treated fairly by airlines,” said Anna Bowles, CAA’s Head of Consumer Policy & Enforcement.

“We have made it clear to Wizz Air that its behaviour is unacceptable and that we expect overdue complaints and claims to be resolved in advance of Christmas. We understand the payment of County Court Judgements may continue into January, but we are encouraging Wizz Air to ensure that the payment of these is also prioritised.”

Speaking to The Independent, Wizz Air addressed the CAA’s concerns, apologizing for the inconvenience it caused its customers during major disruption through the summer period. The carrier noted it had recently doubled its customer service team in a bid to process the remainder of outstanding claims swiftly.

Ninety-one percent of claims have been paid out so far, though it is unclear if this accounts for the 401 outstanding payments identified by Aviation Source in November.

Other major EU-based offenders include TAP Air Portugal and Air France-KLM, which recorded 370 and 340 complaints per million, respectively. While complaint figures remained relatively low, British Airways topped the CAA’s total awarded list for Q3 – handing out £809,506 ($990,000) to disgruntled passengers, an average of around £824 per award.

Heavy-handed growth

Despite the rapid recovery of the industry, 2022 has proven a challenging year for UK aviation, with airlines and airports struggling to regain footing post-pandemic. During the first half of the year, travelers faced delays and cancellations due to significantly lowered staff numbers, though by Autumn, much of the chaos appears to have leveled out.

In August, the CAA named the airline as the “worst performer for UK flight delays” among its peers in 2021. Wizz Air’s flights faced an average delay of 14 minutes and 24 seconds, though punctuality figures remained above pre-pandemic levels.

Wizz Air notably struggled with operational difficulties during the summer holiday season, citing the “highly damaging” situation stemming from dramatically understaffed airports and its negative impact on airlines, customers, and stakeholders.

The low-cost carrier has remained consistently strong, though – reporting a 70% increase in passenger numbers in November, compared to the same period in 2021, for a total of almost 3.7 million carried.