Certain airlines are consistently good at getting you there on time; some yo-yo from year to year; and others—let’s just say there’s always room for improvement. To rank the carriers with the best and worst on-time arrival records, Travel + Leisure surveyed the results provided by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for the 12-month period ending January 2014 (the most recent numbers available).
Altogether, the 16 airlines that report to the BTS combined for a 77.34 percent on-time average, slipping from 81.85 percent in 2012. The U.S. Department of Transportation defines “on time” as any flight that arrives within 15 minutes of schedule.
No. 16 American EagleOn-Time Performance: 70.79%
In 2012, American Eagle (American Airlines’ regional affiliate, which just changed its name to Envoy Air) clawed into the top 10 with its 81.61 percent on-time rate, after a disappointing showing in 2011 that saw just 76.35 percent of its flights arriving on time. But this past year the airline reversed course again and hit the bottom of the heap.Ashok Saxena—Demotix/CorbisNo. 15 ExpressJetOn-Time Performance: 71.53%
ExpressJet has dug itself out of the last-place finish it earned in 2012, despite the fact that its on-time percentage in 2013 was more than 4 percent worse than the year before. Its slight bump in the rankings was aided in part by American Eagle’s marked decline.Ron Heflin—APNo. 14 FrontierOn-Time Performance: 72.36%
Frontier had a toehold in the top 10 in 2011, when 79.16 percent of its flights were on time. But it has continued to slide: in 2012 Frontier dropped to No. 12, with a 77.93 percent record, and last year more than a quarter of its flights were delayed.Robert Alexander—Getty ImagesNo. 13 JetBlueOn-Time Performance: 72.66%
JetBlue is consistently rated at or near the top of consumer satisfaction surveys—maybe by passengers so enthralled by the seatback in-flight entertainment system that they don’t care if they’re late? The BTS numbers reveal that JetBlue is also consistent in being one of the tardiest airlines. More than a quarter of its flights missed the mark in 2013.Bloomberg/Getty ImagesNo. 12 SouthwestOn-Time Performance: 74.94%
December 2013 was a brutal month for Southwest: about a third of its flights were late nationwide. Ongoing, system-wide failures (as well as a few other less-than-stellar months) dragged its ranking out of the top 10. It’s made a dramatic drop since its 2012 on-time arrivals record of 83.13 percent.
For the full list, click here.Bloomberg/Getty Images
