Best and Worst Airlines in North America for Spot Performance Ranking

• Aviation data analytics firm Cirium has unveiled its annual point performance review for 2022.
• Delta Air Lines led the pack with around 84%, while Air Canada came in last with just 55%.
• Travel data provider Official Aviation Guide says a score of at least 80% is considered “fairly good”.

It was one of the busiest years in airline history, but some airlines managed their operations better than others.

Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 15, about 180,000 flights entering, existing or flying in the United States were canceled, while an additional 1.7 million were delayed, according to FlightAware data. This represents 2.1% and 20.4% of all scheduled flights respectively.

Staff shortages, air traffic control problems and inclement weather may be responsible for the chaos, which has been seen over many major holiday weekends throughout the year, including New Years, Memorial Day, July 4 and Christmas.

Now the burning question is which airlines were the most reliable in 2022, especially after the chaos sparked a lot of mistrust among customers. Fortunately, aeronautical data analysis company Cirium has the answer.

On Thursday, the organization unveiled the results of its annual one-time performance review that tracked more than five million flights in North America this year, which equates to 99.55% of all flights from January 1 to December 15. .

The organization defines on time “a flight that arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival at the boarding gate”.

Of the 10 carriers on the list, including eight from the United States and two from Canada, Delta Air Lines leads 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 “good enough” punctuality rate is above 80%: “The best airlines and airports achieve near 90% punctuality – but they remain the exception rather than the rule. “

OAG recognized that reliability can be more difficult for airlines that serve congested airports and airspace than those that do not. The organization also highlighted the ongoing climate crisis and extreme weather conditions which will continue to impact carriers.

With the challenges mounting, experts warn this year’s flightmare could continue until at least 2024.

“It’s easy to forget how dramatically airlines had to reduce capacity to cope with the onset of the pandemic,” Boston Consulting Group chief executive Adam Gordon told Insider’s Hannah Towey in August. . “Relaunching the operation is no small feat and the operational challenges we have seen recently are primarily the result of this complexity rather than planning or execution failures on the part of the airlines.”

Here’s a closer look at North America’s best and worst airlines for on-time performance in 2022. Cirium noted that this data will change slightly by the end of the year, but it’s “highly unlikely that the ranking do so”.

10.Air Canada

Number of flights: 143,141

Punctuality: 55.56%

Ranking 2021: 9

9. WestJet

Number of flights: 89,443

Punctuality: 60.66%

Ranking 2021: Not ranked

8. Allegiant Air

Number of flights: 110,703

Punctuality: 66.49%

Ranking 2021: 10

7. Jet Blue Airways

Number of flights: 327,055

Punctuality: 67.13%

Ranking 2021: 8

6. Border Airlines

Number of flights: 161,982

Punctual performance: 68.99%

Ranking 2021: 6

5. South West Airlines

Number of flights: 1,272,778

Punctuality: 74.68%

Ranking 2021: 7

4. American Airlines

Number of flights: 1,025,075

Punctuality: 78.77%

Ranking 2021: 3

3. United Airlines

Number of flights: 749,725

Punctuality: 81.26%

Ranking 2021: 4

2. Alaska Airlines

Number of flights: 231,248

Punctuality: 81.42%

Ranking 2021: 2

1.Delta Airlines

Number of flights: 959,987

Punctuality: 84.10%

Ranking 2021: 1