No matter how cheap your cheap airplane tickets were or how great a deal you got on your discount hotel rooms, flights that do not arrive and depart on time sometimes ruin even the best planned trip. By knowing which airlines have a good track record for on-time flights and which do not hopefully travelers can select more dependable airlines.
The overall on-time performance of 18 major US airlines increased almost 4 percent over the past year, with flights arriving on time almost 80 percent of the time vs. 76 percent in 2009.
There were some big shifts in individual airline performance levels in 2010 vs. the prior year. Several airlines that ranked high on their on-time performance in 09, including Pinnacle and AirTran, experienced increased delay rates such that their overall ranking fell dramatically in 2010. Continental and United radically reduced their number of delays thus turning in among the best on-time rates.
Factors impacting airlines on-time rates include late arriving connecting flights, air traffic control issues, airplane maintenance or repair and bad weather. Other contributing factors include airline routes, hubs, personnel, and equipment.
Airlines delay records can be found go going to the Bureau of Transportations Statistics (BTS) website and/or TranStats website.
Each year certain airlines experience, for whatever reason, a poorer on-time rate than their competitors. Those achieving the highest on-time rates should be given preference when selecting which airline to fly on, particularly when airlines fares are comparable.
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