- Aviation data analytics company Cirium has revealed its annual on-time performance review for 2022.
- Delta Air Lines led the pack with a rate of about 84%, while Air Canada came in last at just 55%.
- Travel data provider Official Aviation Guide says a score of at least 80% is considered “pretty good.”
It has been one of the most hectic years for air travel in history, but some airlines managed their operation better than others.
Between January 1 and December 15, about 180,000 flights entering, existing, or flying within the US were canceled, while another 1.7 million were delayed, according to FlightAware data. This accounts for 2.1% and 20.4% of all scheduled flights, respectively.
Staffing shortages, air traffic control issues, and severe weather can be blamed for the chaos, which was seen over many major holiday weekends throughout the year, including New Year’s, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Christmas.
Now, the burning question is which airlines were the most reliable in 2022, especially after the chaos led to a lot of distrust among customers. Fortunately, aviation data analytics company Cirium has the answer.
On Thursday, the organization revealed the results of its annual on-time performance review that tracked over five million flights in North America this year — which equals 99.55% of all flights from January 1 to December 15.
The organization defines on time “as a flight that arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival.”
Of the 10 carriers on the list, including eight from the US and two in Canada, Delta Air Lines led the pack for the second year in a row with an on-time arrival rate of 84.10%.
According to travel data provider Official Aviation Guide, a “pretty good” on-time performance rate is anything above 80%: “The very best airlines and airports succeed in punctuality closer to 90% – but they remain the exception rather than the rule.”
OAG acknowledged that reliability may be harder for airlines that fly into congested airports and airspace than those that don’t. The organization also pointed to the ongoing climate crisis and subsequent severe weather that will continue to impact carriers.
With the mounting challenges, experts warn this year’s “flightmare” may continue until at least 2024.
“It’s easy to forget how dramatically airlines had to reduce capacity to weather the early part of the pandemic,” Boston Consulting Group managing director Adam Gordon told Insider’s Hannah Towey in August. “Ramping the operation back up is no small feat and the operational challenges we’ve seen recently are mostly a result of this complexity rather than planning or execution failures on the part of the airlines.”
Here is a closer look at North America’s best and worst airlines for on-time performance in 2022. Cirium noted this data will change slightly by year’s end, but the rankings are “very unlikely to do so.”
10. Air Canada
Getty Images
Number of flights: 143,141
On-time performance: 55.56%
2021 ranking: 9
9. WestJet
Todd Korol/Reuters
Number of flights: 89,443
On-time performance: 60.66%
2021 ranking: Not ranked
8. Allegiant Air
Number of flights: 110,703
On-time performance: 66.49%
2021 ranking: 10
7. JetBlue Airways
Marcus Mainka/Shutterstock
Number of flights: 327,055
On-time performance: 67.13%
2021 ranking: 8
6. Frontier Airlines
Carlos Yudica
Number of flights: 161,982
On-time performance: 68.99%
2021 ranking: 6
5. Southwest Airlines
Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
Number of flights: 1,272,778
On-time performance: 74.68%
2021 ranking: 7
4. American Airlines
Nik Oiko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Number of flights: 1,025,075
On-time performance: 78.77%
2021 ranking: 3
3. United Airlines
United Airlines
Number of flights: 749,725
On-time performance: 81.26%
2021 ranking: 4
2. Alaska Airlines
Shutterstock
Number of flights: 231,248
On-time performance: 81.42%
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2021 ranking: 2
1. Delta Air Lines
On The Run Photo/Shutterstock
Number of flights: 959,987
On-time performance: 84.10%
2021 ranking: 1
