Loganair promises to tell passengers reasons for delays or cancellations

Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles. 

Loganair passengers will be told the reason for their flight being delayed or cancelled through a new automated system, hoped to be introduced this year.

The airline’s chief executive Jonathan Hinkles said they were “well under way” with work which will also see passengers offered an alternative flight or overnight accommodation in the event of a cancellation.

He said the new system – which they are aiming to bring in by the end of 2023 – would stop passengers having to wait in a “slow moving queue” when their flight is affected.

“We have two or three different bits of work ongoing, which should make it better for rebooking when there is a delay or cancellation,” he told The Shetland Times.

“When there’s a weather delay or anything else, it will ask ‘do you want to take this alternative flight?’

“It will make life better, and the queues at the airport a lot shorter.”

Loganair has been criticised in recent weeks for not having its own staff at airports, particularly on the mainland, to speak to passengers if a flight is delayed or cancelled.

But Mr Hinkles believes their new system will be the “biggest single solution” to solving these problems.

Asked how Loganair can improve its communication to passengers around why flights are delayed or cancelled, the airline chief said that was “always a challenge”.

He said, however, they will soon be telling passengers the reason for a delay when they sent them the usual text or email about their flight being affected.

“If your flights delayed we’ll see whether that’s due to weather, or a technical issue, or whatever else it maybe.

“We’re hoping we’ll have all that introduced before year end, but it’s going to be a pretty big piece of work.”