調查顯示 歐洲某些航空公司故意拉長航班時間

Plane journeys are taking longer than a decade ago, according to a report that claims the change is down to airlines "padding" their schedules to create the impression passengers were reaching their destinations on time.

與10年前相比，坐飛機出行的時間變長了。一份報告聲稱，這一變化是因爲航空公司拉長飛行用時，以製造乘客按時抵達目的地的印象。

Carriers are adding extra time to flight schedules, in some cases up to 30 minutes, to ensure they maintain punctuality and are therefore less likely to be liable for compensation payouts, the investigation by UK consumer group Which? claimed.

英國消費者組織Which?進行調查後聲稱，航空公司延長航班的計劃飛行時間，有時多達30分鐘，以確保能保持準點，由此，它們對乘客承擔賠償責任的機率也降低了。

Researchers examined average flight times for 125 routes operated by large airlines in 2009 and compared them with last year.

研究人員分析了2009年大型航空公司運營的125條航線的平均飛行時間，並將它們與2017年的數據進行對比。

They found that 76 routes, 61%, were now slated to take longer; with 87% of British Airways flights analysed found to be slower. That proportion was 82% for Ryanair, 75% for Virgin Atlantic and 62% for easyJet.

他們發現，有76條航線，即61%的航線現在的飛行時間更長了；英國航空87%的航班變慢了。而瑞安航空公司的這一數字爲82%，維珍航空公司爲82%，易捷航空則爲62%。

Airlines said their aircraft were flying at slower speeds to reduce fuel consumption and that this allowed them to offer cheaper fares.

航空公司稱，它們的飛機飛行速度變慢是爲了減少燃油消耗，這使它們可以提供更便宜的機票。

British Airways also told Which? that air traffic congestion was a factor, with European skies now much busier than 10 years ago.

此外，英國航空還對Which?表示，空中交通擁堵也是一個因素，歐洲空域現在要比10年前繁忙得多。

European Union rules stipulate that passengers can claim up to 600 euros if their flights is delayed by more than three hours; however, airlines do not have to compensate travellers for circumstances outside their control, such as bad weather.

歐盟相關法規規定，如果航班延誤超過3個小時，乘客可以索賠600歐元；但是在航空公司可控範圍之外的情況，比如惡劣天氣，那麼就無需補償旅客。