A higher ticket price does not automatically mean a more punctual flight. This is shown in a new analysis from AirAdvisor, which compared 23 European airlines based on ticket prices and punctuality during 2025.
The analysis is based on airlines' RASK (Revenue per Available Seat Kilometre), a metric that shows the average revenue per available seat kilometre and thereby provides an indication of the price level.
According to the report, the price difference between low-cost airlines and traditional network carriers averaged up to around 570 Swedish kronor per flight. Despite this, several of the more expensive airlines had a higher proportion of delays of at least an hour than several low-cost operators.
SAS among the cheaper network companies
Among Europe's national airlines, Finnair had the lowest price level according to RASK at 6.22 euro cents per seat-kilometre in 2025. Norwegian ranked second with 6.80 euro cents, followed by TAP Portugal and Iberia.
SAS came in sixth place with 7.58 euro cents per seat kilometre and is therefore among the cheaper network airlines in the comparison.
SAS was also the only Nordic airline whose RASK increased slightly compared to 2024 – from 7.50 to 7.58 euro cents – while Norwegian decreased from 7.60 to 6.80 euro cents.
Eurowings had high prices – but many delays
One of the clearest examples in the report is Eurowings, which operates to several Swedish destinations via Stockholm Arlanda.
The company had a CASK of 7.82 eurocents, which according to AirAdvisor was approximately 41 percent higher than Ryanair's level of 5.56 eurocents.
Despite the higher price level, Eurowings had one of the highest proportions of longer delays in the survey. According to AirAdvisor's FlightSignal database, 19.13 percent of flights were delayed by at least an hour.
Ryanair reported a lower proportion of severe delays, while the company accounted for the largest reduction in RASK between 2024 and 2025. The price level fell from 8.43 to 5.56 euro cents per seat-kilometre, which according to the analysis corresponds to an average price reduction of around 33 euros, approximately 366 Swedish kronor, per European flight.
Based on annual reports
The analysis covers 23 European airlines and is based on publicly available financial information from the companies' annual reports for 2025. Three airlines – Volotea, Air Europa, and LOT Polish Airlines – are not included as corresponding data was not available at the time of the analysis.
The delay statistics are based on AirAdvisor's own FlightSignal database, which compiles reported disruptions on European flight routes.
