Britain's most reliable flight – if delay is what you're after

It is being dubbed Britain's least punctual plane – a service run (somewhat inappropriately) by Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in central and eastern Europe.

Wizz Air flight W62206 from Luton to Budapest has not left on time once since 1 June 2013. In that time it has racked up a staggering 293 consecutive late departures according to official figures published by flight data specialists EUclaim. The information was supplied by Luton airport and was correct as at 21 March.

Scheduled to make the 1,492km (927 miles) journey every day except Christmas Day, the A320 plane has seen passengers delayed for as little as two minutes and as long as 12 hours and 18 minutes. On one occasion (1 June last year) the flight was cancelled altogether. The delays add up to more than 176 hours of waiting for unfortunate passengers.

Lawyers and compensation specialist Bott & Co, based in Wilmslow, Cheshire, said passengers on nine of the Wizz Air flights would be able to claim compensation under EU regulations.

Fifteen people from the qualifying flights (in June, July, October and November 2013) have already asked the firm to represent them and are in line to receive €250 (£215) each.

EU regulation 261 entitles travellers to compensation of between €250 and €600 if their flight is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled. The law applies to flights from EU airports or arriving in the EU on an EU airline, provided the delay or cancellation is not caused by extraordinary circumstances.

In a statement Wizz Air said: "Industry standards, applied by the CAA, define all flights departing within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure time as on time. Even in the few cases where a flight takes off 15 minutes later than scheduled, consumers are mainly interested in arriving on time."

It said 73.22% of all 295 W62206 flights from Luton to Budapest from 1 June 2013 to date departed on time, with 78.64% arriving on time in Budapest.

It added: "Wizz Air operates 28 routes from Luton and its punctuality of 88% on all Luton flights in November 2013 compares to 87% punctuality of all airlines at the same airport."