Flying Delta out of Salt Lake City? Your odds are excellent for an on-time departure.
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Delta Air Lines is the most punctual carrier in North America, with 81.79% of flights leaving on-time in 2022, according to a new report from by OAG Aviation Worldwide.
The Atlanta-based carrier’s performance dropped from its 2019 ranking of 83.56%, which then was only good enough to earn a second-place spot in the pre-pandemic year.
Alaska Airlines came in second place for 2022 with a 79.13% on-time performance, a drop from 2019 when an 81.49% OTP garnered the number 3 spot.
Among the “big four” airlines, both United Airlines and America Airlines have seen considerable moves upwards, with United climbing from ninth place in 2019 to third in 2022 with a 79.10% OTP , while American climbed from eighth to fourth place thanks to a 77.38%.
In 2022, Delta also boasted the lowest cancellation rate, of 1.94%. Comparatively, the average cancellation rate among major U.S. airlines was 2.62% last year, with Allegiant Air having the highest rate at 4.43% of its flights canceled.
Best Performing U.S. Airports
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) was the most punctual airport in North America last year, with 83.59% of flights on-time, according to the report. Idaho’s Boise Airport (BOI) is not far behind in second place, with an 82.92% on-time performance record last year.
Rounding out the top 10, a cluster of airports boast very similar performance records with between 80-81% of flights departing on-time, including Fresno Yosemite International Airport; Spokane International Airport; Tucson International Airport; Lihue Airport in Kauai, Hawaii; Portland International Airport; and Greenville/Spartanburg International Airport.
Only two of the US’s 20 busiest airports made it into the top 10 for on-time performance: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) in seventh place and Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) in tenth position. The average percentage of cancellations for this top tier is 1.64%.