In numbers: The economic impact of flight disruptions

Flight delays and cancellations can have an enormous impact on both the economy and the environment. To find out the exact cost of these disruptions, AirHelp analyzed flight data from 2022 across the US, Europe, and Australia.

The results were staggering. AirHelp found that disrupted flights have an economic cost of $67.5 billion and generated 9 million tons of CO2 emissions across the regions studied.

Huge numbers, great impact

In 2022, at least 200 million people in the US experienced delays and cancellations, along with 330 million in Europe and another 12 million in Australia. Together, these passengers lost 650 million hours of their time and required 30 million overnight hotel stays while waiting for their flights.

Cost by region

• $30-34 billion in the US

• $27-32 billion in Europe

• Up to $1.5 billion in Australia

The ones most affected were the passengers, who shouldered the brunt of these costs at 37% of the total, compared to 32% borne by airlines.

This shows that airlines need to work harder on improving their on-time performance — not only to save on additional operational expenses, but also to lessen the financial burden on their passengers.

For a more in-depth look at the results, download the full report.