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.

与10年前相比，坐飞机出行的时间变长了。一份报告声称，这一变化是因为航空公司拉长飞行用时，以制造乘客按时抵达目的地的印象。

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 investigation¹ by UK consumer group Which? claimed.

英国消费者组织Which?进行调查后声称，航空公司延长航班的计划飞行时间，有时多达30分钟，以确保能保持准点，由此，它们对乘客承担赔偿责任的几率也降低了。

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

研究人员分析了2009年大型航空公司运营的125条航线的平均飞行时间，并将它们与2017年的数据进行对比。

They found that 76 routes, 61%, were now slated² to take longer; with 87% of British Airways³ flights analysed found to be slower. That proportion was 82% for Ryanair, 75% for Virgin⁴ Atlantic and 62% for easyJet.

他们发现，有76条航线，即61%的航线现在的飞行时间更长了；英国航空87%的航班变慢了。而瑞安航空公司的这一数字为82%，维珍航空公司为82%，易捷航空则为62%。

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

航空公司称，它们的飞机飞行速度变慢是为了减少燃油消耗，这使它们可以提供更便宜的机票。

British Airways also told Which? that air traffic congestion⁵ was a factor, with European skies now much busier than 10 years ago.

此外，英国航空还对Which?表示，空中交通拥堵也是一个因素，欧洲空域现在要比10年前繁忙得多。

European Union rules stipulate⁶ that passengers can claim up to 600 euros if their flights is delayed by more than three hours; however, airlines do not have to compensate⁷ travellers for circumstances outside their control, such as bad weather.

欧盟相关法规规定，如果航班延误超过3个小时，乘客可以索赔600欧元；但是在航空公司可控范围之外的情况，比如恶劣天气，那么就无需补偿旅客。