Air travel can already be stressful enough, but there’s nothing worse than discovering that your flight has been delayed or even worse, canceled outright. This can be especially frustrating if you have a connecting flight to make or are trying to reach your final destination in time for an important event.
Some airports are worse than others, meaning that waiting out your delay can also be an unpleasant experience if you have an unexpected few hours to kill before your flight departs late.
Traveling by plane soon?
According to aviation data from Cirium, these U.S. airlines have the most and least delays based on the percentage of on-time arrivals for July 2023:
Airlines With The Most Delays Right Now
The following three airlines have the most delayed flights right now. Although sometimes there’s nothing you can do about a delayed flight, there are a few ways you can avoid delayed and canceled flights as much as possible through savvy travel planning.
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue holds the dubious distinction of being at the top of the rankings for most delayed flights right now. Just 53.01% of all JetBlue flights arrived on time in July, meaning that nearly half were delayed.
Many of these delays were attributed to weather, but the New York-based JetBlue has also blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for causing delays because of the ongoing air traffic controller shortage affecting the NYC area.
Regardless of who’s at fault, it’s been a rocky summer when it comes to delays for JetBlue.
Frontier Airlines
Next up, Frontier Airlines saw an on-time arrival rate of just 57.23% for all flights last month.
This low-cost carrier has drawn the ire of many passengers for cost-cutting measures like eliminating customer support by phone which makes it impossible to reach a real person if you experience issues like flight delays or cancelations.
Spirit Airlines
Finally, Spirit Airlines is another budget airline that doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to on-time arrivals. Currently, the number is sitting at just 63.7% which means that well over a third of all flights are delayed.
So while that $17 fare may be enticing, just be warned that your flight may not arrive on time.
Airlines With The Most On-Time Flights
While the above airlines had the most delays last month, the following airlines have the fewest delays and the highest percentage of on-time arrivals.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is leading the way with on-time flights among U.S. carriers, with 82.03% of all flights arriving on time this past month.
If you fly on an Alaska flight, which scores highly on customer service and passenger experience as well, the odds are good that you will have a delay-free journey.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines was recently named the best airline in North America and its comparatively high rate of on-time flights is just one of the reasons why, along with factors like good customer service and a pleasant onboard experience.
Right now, 78.55% of Delta flights are arriving on time based on July 2023 flights.
American Airlines
Lastly, American Airlines rounds out the top three airlines with the most on-time flights, with 73.01% of flights departing in July arriving at their destination without any delays.
However, this still means that over a quarter of flights were delayed, making American far from the most reliable airline to fly, but still considerably better than some of its competitors.
