{"id":175456,"date":"2026-09-28T13:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T13:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/175456\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T13:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T13:41:13","slug":"the-top-20-european-flight-routes-most-likely-to-stress-you-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/175456\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 20 European flight routes most likely to stress you out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two UK air routes rank among Europe\u2019s three most stressful flight routes for nervous flyers, according to a new AirAdvisor analysis of delays, cancellations, weather exposure and journey times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/london-heathrow\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2810\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">London Heathrow<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/amsterdam-schiphol-airport\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11922\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Amsterdam<\/a> ranks second in <a href=\"https:\/\/airadvisor.com\/en\/blog\/nervous-flyer-score\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">AirAdvisor\u2019s 2026 Nervous Flyer Index<\/a>, while <a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/manchester-airport\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3759\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Manchester<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/dublin-airport\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5712\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dublin<\/a> takes third place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study examined 26 major European routes using operational data covering September 2025 through August 2026. It considered delays of more than one hour, severe delays exceeding three hours, cancellations, weather exposure at both airports, and flight duration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite its name, the ranking doesn\u2019t evaluate other factors that might make flyers nervous, such as the likelihood of turbulence, and it doesn\u2019t imply these routes are less safe. Instead, it quantifies factors that can make flying more stressful and unpredictable for passengers who are already anxious about air travel.<\/p>\n<p>Heathrow\u2013Amsterdam has the highest cancellation rate<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heathrow\u2013Amsterdam received a Nervous Flyer Score of 63.8 out of 100, making it the second-highest-scoring route in the study.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its biggest problem was a high cancellation rate.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Morning_at_Amsterdam_Airport_Schiphol-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Airport tarmac view showing KLM aircraft parked at gates with ground service vehicles and equipment, captured from inside another KLM plane with its wing visible in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.\" class=\"wp-image-30921\"  \/>Photo: Tbatb \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AirAdvisor found that 3.69% of flights were cancelled, the highest cancellation rate among the routes analysed and more than 2.5 times the 1.35% average among the top 20 routes.<\/p>\n<p>3.63% of flights were delayed by more than one hour<\/p>\n<p>0.37% were delayed by more than three hours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Heathrow and Amsterdam had weather-exposure ratings of seven out of 10.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once passengers manage to get in the air, the journey between these hubs is relatively short, with a flight duration of 80 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Manchester\u2013Dublin has the highest long-delay rates<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manchester\u2013Dublin followed closely behind with a score of 63.4, but had the highest delay figures in the study.<\/p>\n<p>7.51% of flights were delayed by more than 60 minutes, the highest proportion among the top 20 routes.<\/p>\n<p>Manchester\u2013Dublin also recorded the highest proportion of flights delayed by more than three hours, at 0.84%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That means the route had the highest rate of long delays among the top 20 routes, but its cancellation rate was lower than Heathrow\u2013Amsterdam at 0.81%.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AdobeStock_590507517_Editorial_Use_Only-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"A British Airways Airbus A320-232 takes off from Manchester Airport\" class=\"wp-image-40632\"  \/>Photo: paul \/ stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manchester and Dublin both received weather scores of seven out of 10. The flight duration is just 60 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Heathrow appears four times near the top<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UK airports feature prominently throughout the ranking, with four Heathrow routes making the top 20.<\/p>\n<p>Heathrow\u2013Frankfurt ranks eighth with a score of 44.2.<\/p>\n<p>Madrid\u2013Heathrow is tenth at 40.8<\/p>\n<p>Heathrow\u2013Dublin ranks 11th with the same 40.8<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That puts five routes involving UK airports among the study\u2019s 11 highest-scoring routes, four of them involving Heathrow.<\/p>\n<p>Amsterdam\u2013Barcelona tops Europe\u2019s ranking<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The highest overall Nervous Flyer Score went to Amsterdam\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/barcelona-airport\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"9676\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Barcelona<\/a>, at 75.1.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Vueling-aircraft-at-Barcelona-Airport--1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Vueling aircraft at Barcelona Airport\" class=\"wp-image-24016\"  \/>Photo: Matt Keiffer \/ Wikimedia<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike Heathrow\u2013Amsterdam and Manchester\u2013Dublin, this route did not have the highest result in any disruption category. Its high score comes from a combination of high delay and cancellation rates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AirAdvisor recorded hour-plus delays on 7.02% of flights, delays exceeding three hours on 0.83%, and cancellations on 2.93%. The flight is 130 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Europe\u2019s most stressful routes for nervous flyers<\/p>\n<p>    Europe\u2019s 20 Most Stressful Routes for Nervous Flyers<\/p>\n<p>      Rank<br \/>\n      Route<br \/>\n      Airports<br \/>\n      Nervous Score<br \/>\n      Delayed 60+ min<br \/>\n      Delayed 180+ min<br \/>\n      Cancellation rate<br \/>\n      Departure weather \/10<br \/>\n      Destination weather \/10<br \/>\n      Duration (min)<\/p>\n<p>    1Amsterdam \u2013 BarcelonaAMS\u2013BCN75.17.02%0.83%2.93%7.03.0130<br \/>\n    2London Heathrow \u2013 AmsterdamLHR\u2013AMS63.83.63%0.37%3.69%7.07.080<br \/>\n    3Manchester \u2013 DublinMAN\u2013DUB63.47.51%0.84%0.81%7.07.060<br \/>\n    4Lisbon \u2013 MadeiraLIS\u2013FNC61.47.43%0.70%0.34%5.010.0110<br \/>\n    5Paris CDG \u2013 NiceCDG\u2013NCE60.86.83%0.60%2.07%6.04.095<br \/>\n    6Oslo \u2013 StavangerOSL\u2013SVG46.82.21%0.06%2.87%7.08.050<br \/>\n    7Barcelona \u2013 Rome FiumicinoBCN\u2013FCO45.24.85%0.44%1.71%3.03.0115<br \/>\n    8London Heathrow \u2013 FrankfurtLHR\u2013FRA44.23.23%0.07%2.07%7.06.0100<br \/>\n    9Oslo \u2013 TrondheimOSL\u2013TRD42.42.03%0.03%2.35%7.08.055<br \/>\n    10Madrid \u2013 London HeathrowMAD\u2013LHR40.83.38%0.17%1.15%4.07.0145<br \/>\n    11London Heathrow \u2013 DublinLHR\u2013DUB40.83.41%0.16%1.15%7.07.080<br \/>\n    12Oslo \u2013 BergenOSL\u2013BGO40.21.01%0.03%2.16%7.09.055<br \/>\n    13Barcelona \u2013 Palma de MallorcaBCN\u2013PMI39.96.89%0.55%0.39%3.03.060<br \/>\n    14Paris Orly \u2013 LisbonORY\u2013LIS37.44.89%0.19%0.19%5.05.0155<br \/>\n    15D\u00fcsseldorf \u2013 Palma de MallorcaDUS\u2013PMI35.35.12%0.22%0.02%6.03.0145<br \/>\n    16Madrid \u2013 LisbonMAD\u2013LIS34.04.95%0.26%0.33%4.05.085<br \/>\n    17Copenhagen \u2013 OsloCPH\u2013OSL33.61.82%0.14%0.93%6.07.080<br \/>\n    18Madrid \u2013 Tenerife NorthMAD\u2013TFN33.12.45%0.11%0.04%4.08.0175<br \/>\n    19Copenhagen \u2013 Stockholm ArlandaCPH\u2013ARN31.21.99%0.03%0.97%6.07.075<br \/>\n    20Rome Fiumicino \u2013 CataniaFCO\u2013CTA30.65.09%0.13%0.73%3.04.080<\/p>\n<p class=\"agn-table-source\">\n  Data source:<br \/>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/airadvisor.com\/en\/blog\/nervous-flyer-score\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">AirAdvisor<\/a>.<br \/>\n  Operational data covers September 2025 to August 2026.\n<\/p>\n<p>What does the Nervous Flyer Score actually measure?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AirAdvisor developed the ranking based on factors that can add uncertainty and stress to a journey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe purpose of this ranking isn\u2019t to tell nervous passengers which routes to avoid. It\u2019s to show where some of the factors that create uncertainty are more common, so travellers can plan for them and feel better prepared,\u201d AirAdvisor CEO Anton Radchenko said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cancellations account for 25% of the score, delays exceeding three hours for 20% and delays exceeding one hour for 15%. Weather exposure at the departure and destination airports contributes another 15% each, while flight duration accounts for the remaining 10%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Travellers can plan for these problematic routes to ease their nerves by booking earlier flights that are less likely to experience a cascade of delays. They should also familiarise themselves with their rights in case of delays or cancellations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s also important to note that while cancellations and delays might make a journey more stressful, they do not make the flight less safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two UK air routes rank among Europe\u2019s three most stressful flight routes for nervous flyers, according to a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":175457,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[101],"tags":[199,6233,8174,4493,9843,538,43758,568,200,14808],"class_list":["post-175456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-amsterdam","tag-amsterdam","tag-amsterdam-airport","tag-barcelona-airport","tag-disruptions","tag-dublin-airport","tag-flight-delays","tag-heathrow-airport","tag-manchester-airport","tag-netherlands","tag-routes"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/117348957918944363","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}