A new year is here, and that means it’s time for planning your 2024 adventures!
But before you book your next flight, you might want to consider the on-time performance of the airline you’re booking with.
Aviation analytics company Cirium has just released its report of the most on-time airlines of 2023. These are the U.S. airlines that have the fewest flight delays going into 2024.
Flying with a more reliable airline can make your travel experience run smoothly, and you won’t have to worry as much about flight delays and cancellations derailing your plans.
While none of these airlines are perfect (as nice as it would be to see a 100% rate for on-time flights!), these are the U.S. airlines with the least amount of delays right now:
Delta Air Lines
Once again, Delta Air Lines takes the number one spot when it comes to the most punctual airlines. Delta is one of the most-liked airlines in the world by frequent travelers because of its reliability.
In 2023, 84.72% of Delta flights were on time, among one of the highest on-time rates in the world for all airlines, and at the very top for U.S. airlines. Many travelers choose Delta because, in addition to its reliability, it also offers perks like free WiFi on most flights.
Alaska Airlines
Another punctual airline that travelers can trust is Alaska Airlines. Last year, the airline had relatively few delays, with 82.25% of flights going out on time.
Alaska Airlines just launched several new routes this winter to great destinations like Nassau, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos in case you’re looking for a warm-weather getaway.
American Airlines
American Airlines is another carrier with a pretty good track record when it comes to having few delays. Currently, this airline has an 80.61% on-time flight rate.
And speaking of winter getaways, American Airlines also recently launched some exciting new routes, including nonstop flights to Jamaica and Bermuda.
United Airlines
Next up on the list is United Airlines. Much like American Airlines, this carrier managed a decent rate for on-time flights, coming in at 80.04% for 2023.
In addition to being a reliable airline for all travelers, United is also popular with families thanks to new policies the airline instituted last year. These changes make it easier than ever for families to sit together on flights.
Southwest Airlines
Finally, Southwest Airlines rounds out the top five most punctual airlines going into 2024. There’s a noticeable drop between United and Southwest, though.
This budget carrier had an on-time rate of 76.26% last year. This means that while most flights went out on time, nearly a quarter of all flights were still delayed.
Southwest can still be hit-or-miss based on events like its mass flight cancellations causing holiday travel chaos in 2022.
Airlines With The Most Delays
Now that you’ve heard about the airlines with the fewest delays, these are the airlines that have the MOST delays going into 2024.
- Spirit Airlines: 71.16% of flights on time
- Frontier Airlines: 68.68% of flights on time
- JetBlue Airways: 68.33% of flights on time
As you can see, based on this data, Frontier and JetBlue are by far the worst airlines for punctuality, with nearly one-third of all scheduled flights being delayed.
How To Avoid Flight Delays
While there’s no surefire way to avoid flight delays (even the most punctual airlines have a not-insignificant chance of delays), there’s one easy hack you can use to minimize your risk of delays.
And that is traveling on the first flight out in the morning.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 86% of flights departing between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. are on time, while only 66% of flights departing between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. are on time.
So if you’re concerned about delays, it’s worth the early wake-up call for flying in the morning!
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