What are the best airlines to fly if you want to be on time? A new report shows that Asia-Pacific airlines dominated the global rankings with nine out of the top 20 most punctual airlines in the world as Garuda Indonesia topped the list. Aeroflot finished as the most punctual Mega Airline in Europe and second-most punctual mega in the world and Copa Airlines and LATAM Airlines Group of Latin America came in as the second and fifth most punctual airlines in the world. But North American carriers have also made big strides in the last year with Delta earning a fourth place finish.
OAG, a leading provider of travel data and insight, has released the results of its annual Punctuality League 2020, the industry’s most comprehensive ranking of on-time performance (OTP) for the world’s largest airlines and airports. Six U.S. carriers ranked among the most punctual Mega Airlines in the world, including Delta Air Lines (4), Alaska Airlines (6), Southwest Airlines (8), American Airlines (9), United Airlines (13) and JetBlue (16).
Delta finished as the top Mega Airline in North America for a third consecutive year with an OTP of 83.56%. Several low-cost carriers (LCCs), including WestJet (OTP 78.98%), Allegiant Air (OTP 78.97%) and JetBlue (OTP 73.81%) improved year-over-year OTP, ranking sixth, seventh, and 10th respectively in North America. Spirit (13th; OTP 79.42%) and Southwest (14th; OTP 79.40%) finished among the top 20 LCCs globally. Hawaiian Airlines kept its first-place ranking among U.S. airlines for a sixth-straight year, with an OTP of 87.40%. WestJet was the No. 1 airline for OTP in Canada.
North American carriers have focused on on-time performance and it shows.
Delta-hub airport, Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) was the second most punctual Major Airport in the world, with an OTP of 83.27%. U.S. airports dominated OAG’s Major Airport category, with 7 rankings among the top 10 globally, including Detroit (DTW; OTP 83.08%), Charlotte (CLT; OTP 80.70%), Phoenix (PHX; OTP 80.28%), Miami (MIA; OTP 80.22%), Houston (IAH; OTP 79.25%) and Las Vegas (LAS; OTP 79.12%). Eight U.S. Mega Airports finished in the top 20 globally, including Atlanta, (ATL; OTP 83.74%), Seattle (SEA; OTP 80.27%), Los Angeles (LAX; OTP 79.62%) and New York (JFK; OTP 77.87%).
“Delta’s continued OTP dominance is remarkable given the size and range of its operations. The performance is also a testament to the hub locations they serve, especially Atlanta and Seattle,” said John Grant, senior analyst with OAG. “Airlines and airports continue to demonstrate strong OTP overall. We are reaching near peak operational OTP across the world.”
We hope this list of the best airlines to fly if you want to be on time helps you avoid airport delays and travel snafus.
