Airlines that will get you there on time
Airlines that will get you there on time - This year's leader is a three-time winner, with nearly 93% of its flights arriving as scheduled. Best and Worst Airlines for Flight Delays. Find out which airlines are most—and least—likely to land at your destination on time. Flight delays have become so common that more than 20 percent of all flights in the U.S. run late year after year.
But some airlines are more time-sensitive than others, and it matters because a delay is more than a nuisance—it can ruin a trip, especially around the holidays. Travel + Leisure’s annual air-travel report is based on data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which monitors the percentage of on-time arrivals for 18 major U.S. airlines. We crunched the data from the 12-month period ending in June 2011 to determine the airlines with the best and worst records.
There were some big shifts in this year’s numbers. JetBlue, the favorite carrier of many travelers, plummeted in the ratings to capture the lowest ranking (No. 18). AirTran Airways, meanwhile, radically improved its on-time performance and vaulted into our top five. United held its steady ground high up in the rankings, impressive for a carrier of its size.
Want to avoid the late arrivals and fly with the on-time pros the next time you take to the skies? Read our take on the best and worst airlines for flight delays.
Best On-Time Airlines
No. 1 Hawaiian
On-Time Performance: 92.7%
Our top-ranked on-time airline for the past three years, Hawaiian pushed its on-time performance even further this year, up from 92 percent in 2010 and 89.9 percent in 2009. That gives it an impressive lead over all of the competition.
No. 2 Alaska
On-Time Performance: 86.9%
Entrenched in our second spot is Alaska, which held the same ranking in 2010, albeit with a slightly better performance (87.7 percent). In 2009, it was down at No. 9, with just a 77.6 percent on-time report.
No. 3 United
On-Time Performance: 83.8%
United is the only major carrier in our top five, and it continues to hold onto the No. 3 spot it earned in 2010, with an 83.1 percent on-time performance report. It’s certainly miles better than 2009, when its 75 percent performance left it at No. 14.
No. 4 AirTran
On-Time Performance: 83.5%
AirTran was a big surprise this year and deserves the most improved award. After languishing mid-pack, with a mediocre 77.5 percent on-time record in 2010 and a 78.4 percent in 2009, it got its act together to leap to the top of our rankings this year—from the No. 14 spot last year.
No. 5 Mesa
On-Time Performance: 83.4%
Mesa keeps on getting better and better. Last year it managed an 81.1 percent on-time arrival rate, a quantum leap over 2009’s 74.9 percent. This year’s improvement nudged it from No. 6 last year into our top five.
Worst On-Time Airlines
No. 1 JetBlue
On-Time Performance: 72.0%
JetBlue may be a favorite among fliers for its service, but its performance in 2011 was appalling, with more than a quarter of its flights running late. This is a new low for the carrier. In 2010, it turned in a respectable 78.1 percent on-time rate and earned itself a place at No. 12 on our list.
No. 2 Comair
On-Time Performance: 74.6%
Comair had a better on-time performance than last year, when only 71.5 percent of its flights were punctual. And that was just enough to keep it from being the worst airline for on-time performance—a distinction it held in 2009 and 2010.
No. 3 Atlantic Southeast
On-Time Performance: 75.2%
The airline came in with a slightly lower rate than last year, when it said that 75.9 percent of its flights were on time. But that’s still better than its poor showing in 2009, when only 74.1 percent of its flights arrived at their scheduled time. Still, other carriers did worse, so Atlantic Southeast rose from No. 17 in 2010.
No. 4 American Eagle
On-Time Performance: 75.5%
The airline pretty much reports the same thing year after year—that fully a quarter of its flights are late. In 2010, its on-time record was a tad better, at 76.3 percent of its flights, while in 2009 it was 76.1 percent. The movement of other carriers gave American Eagle a push up one notch from last year’s No. 16 ranking.
No. 5 ExpressJet
On-Time Performance: 76.0%
ExpressJet may have inched up from No. 15 last year, but that was only because some other airlines did better and a few did worse. The carrier actually scored higher last year, with a 77.1 percent on-time ranking.
via: yahoo
