Widespread complaints about “Heathrow hassle” were yesterday fuelled by official figures that rated British Airways as the worst performer among leading European airlines for both flight delays and misplaced baggage over the busy summer period.

According to data published yesterday by the Association of European Airlines, covering July to September this year, BA ranked 24th among the 25 airlines which disclosed statistics for the number of delayed bags per 1,000 passengers. Only TAP Air Portugal had a worse record – although several carriers, including Virgin Atlantic, BMI British Midland and Aer Lingus do not disclose baggage figures.