World’s Biggest Airlines Ranked by On-Time Performance in the US

Written By Joanna Teljeur

3 minutes read
Last Updated: April 30, 2024

Recently the OAG (Official Airline Guide) published their 2023 on-time performance (OTP) rankings for the world’s 20 biggest airlines. Their data ranks the largest global airlines based on their on-time arrivals, and US airports based on on-time departure. In the rankings, “on-time’ means within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival or departure time.

It’s also important to point out that the number of flights analysed in the study vary considerably with American Airlines having almost 2 million flights in 2023 compared to Aeromexico with only 201,627. 

Some Interesting Findings

• 7 out of the 20 airlines were US carriers.
• 3 were Latin American
• 4 Asia-Pacific
• 6 Europe

The Overall Top 5 Most Punctual Airlines

The Top 5 Most Punctual US airlines by On Time Percentage

As you can see, Delta is by far the most on-time airline, both in the US and globally. 

The Top 5 Most Punctual US Airlines by Number of Flights

The Top 4 Most Punctual European Airlines

The Most On-Time US Airports

1. Minneapolis/St Paul International Apt
2. Seattle-Tacoma International Apt
3. Atlanta Hartsfield-jackson Intl Apt
4. Charlotte
5. Washington Ronald Reagan National Apt

Also interesting: Worst Airports in the US for Delays - AirAdvisor Study 2023.

AirAdvisor Airline Rankings

Because we focus on passengers rights, we’ve written our own data analysis of airline performance in different regions and have ranked the top on-time airlines for the EU, UK, and the US. The biggest difference in AirAdvisor’s data analysis and the one recently published by OAG is that we analysed all the carriers in each region based on reliability, customer service, reviews, and airline policies. OAG, on the other hand, focused on the data from the world’s 20 largest airlines. 

Here’s how AirAdvisor’s ratings compared to OAG’s reliability ratings:

What is Considered Good On-Time Performance

Within the airline industry, an on-time performance of 80% or better is usually considered good. This translates to, “. . . 4 in 5 flights arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time.” 

Of course there are many factors that contribute to achieving a high on-time performance rating including the performance of airports, weather trends, world events, and how efficiently an airline operates. 

Airline Reliability and Its Effect on Passengers

Cancelled and delayed flights have an enormous effect on air passengers resulting in extra costs incurred from hotel stays, food, transportation, and rebooking. Not only that, but a delayed or cancelled flight can derail a vacation like a cruise and can cause passengers to miss important events like weddings or important business meetings.

Travellers in the UK, EU, and Canada have some recourse when it comes to flight disruption as these regions have regulations in place that require airlines to compensate passengers for cancellations and delays, but in the US, passengers pretty much have to fend for themselves.  

Air passenger rights in the US are governed by the US Department of Transportation, and while the Passengers Bill of Rights offers protections similar to what is enjoyed in the EU and UK, it’s uncertain whether it will ever become federal law. Since the US has no federal laws requiring airlines to compensate passengers, it might come as some relief that the largest airlines in the US were also found to be the ones with the best on time performance. 

If your flight was delayed, canceled or overbooked within the last 3 years, you could be eligible for up to $650 in compensation.

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