KLM tops UK punctuality ratings

KLM was the most punctual scheduled airline at airports around the UK during the first three months of the year, according to figures from flightontime.info.

The site revealed that KLM managed to keep 91 per cent of its departures to within 15 minutes of their scheduled time in the first quarter, with an average delay of 5.6 minutes.

Bmi regional's flights from UK hubs had average hold-ups of 5.9 minutes between January and March, placing the airline in second position ahead of VLM with an overall delay time of 6.2 minutes.

The flightontime.info study also covered low-cost airlines, with bmibaby at the top of the pile with an average delay of 7.9 minutes and Flybe also in the top three with 11.5 minutes.

Crawford Rix, managing director of bmibaby, said: "At bmibaby we work extremely hard to ensure all our flights are on time for our passengers. Our results for quarter one of 2009 are excellent."

The low-cost airline has already put parts of its summer 2010 programme on sale, allowing customers to book flights to Alicante, Malaga, Faro and other popular holiday hotspots.