Delta tops North American list for most punctual flights


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The busy holiday travel season has ended, with AAA predicting nearly 8 million people chose to fly to get where they needed to go. Now, a new report shows which airlines were the most on-time.

The airline analytics company Cirium has released its rankings for 2024, with Delta Air Lines finishing first.

Researchers found that Delta had an 84% on-time departure rate and an 83% on-time arrival rate.

United Airlines came in at No. 2 with an 82% on-time departure rate and an 81% on-time arrival average.

Alaska Airlines was No. 3, with 82% of its departures and 79% of arrivals being on time.

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American Airlines took fourth, with 79% of flights departing on time and 78% arriving on time.

Southwest came in at No. 5. Its flights were on time 77% of the time and its arrivals were 78% on time.

Top 10 on-time airlines in North America

  • Delta Air Lines.
  • United Airlines.
  • Alaska Airlines.
  • American Airlines.
  • Southwest Airlines.
  • Spirit Airlines.
  • JetBlue Airways.
  • Frontier Airlines.
  • Air Canada.
  • WestJet Airlines.

According to the report, Delta came in third place when compared to all the airlines around the world. Aeromexico and Saudia Airlines topped the list, respectively.

Top on-time airlines around the world

  • Aeromexico.
  • Saudia Airlines.
  • Delta Air Lines.

Air travel was up in 2024 due to an increase in international trips. According to the International Air Transport Association, from January to October, revenue-passenger miles increased by 11% compared to 2023.

The association predicts that by 2025, departures will increase by 4.6% to a level of 40 million. As a result, the airlines are adding flights and increasing premium seating.

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