Flybe makes Forbes ‘on time’ list

Flybe is celebrating having hit the global aviation world big time by making the ‘Top 10’ in one of the influential Forbes magazine’s famous lists, the only UK carrier to do so.

In being listed amongst these world-leading airlines, Flybe finished ahead of many other international household names, leaving trailing in its wake the likes of Air France, British Airways, Continental, Air Canada and Iberia.

The reason driving Flybe’s celebration is Forbes’ publication of its 2009 World’s Most On-Time Airlines’ list with the headline: ‘Traveling this year? These carriers regularly arrive and depart on schedule’, with statistics based on those compiled by Flightstats 2009 Year-End Report on Airport and Airline Arrival Performance.

The 2009 Global Major Carrier Arrival Performance Report ranks global carriers across US airports and 48 other of the world’s busiest airports and, including airlines flying over 110,000 flights a year, are sorted by on-time arrival percentage in descending order. Flybe, based on an operating sample of
128,360 flights, ranked number 10 with an 83% overall on-time performance, well ahead of the next UK airline featured, namely British Airways that placed number 22.

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, says: “We are absolutely delighted to have received such high profile and influential recognition of the position we have reached on the global aviation stage, especially in such a key category. To have reached the Top 10 for on-time performance in the Major Carrier category is a prestigious achievement of which every single person at Flybe can be extremely proud.”

Adds Mr Rutter: “Alongside providing quality customer service and of course assuring safety as a priority, a key component of an airline’s success and the way individual carriers are rated by passengers is its on-time performance. So to feature so prominently in such an influential and globally recognised list such as those published by Forbes is certainly something we value as a great testament to the work of all our staff.”