The most on-time airlines (and airports) in the world
What was the most on-time airline — and airport — in the world in 2024?
New numbers released to kick off the new year offer some answers.
Aeromexico proved to be the global winner, according to data released Thursday by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
In 2024, nearly 87% of the Mexico City-based carrier's flights arrived at their destination on time.
Closely following Aeromexico, two spots back in third place, was Delta Air Lines, the top U.S. carrier for on-time performance last year, Cirium said.
Here's a quick rundown of the top-performing airlines, as well as large airports that saw the highest on-time rates — featuring one of the most popular U.S. cities for vacationers.
Most on-time airlines in 2024
To calculate the highest-performing airlines in the world, Cirium held to a widely recognized industry standard: the percentage of flights that arrived at their destination within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time.
Here's how global airlines stacked up:
- Aeromexico (86.7%)
- Saudia (86.3%)
- Delta (83.5%)
It's worth noting that Panama City-based Copa Airlines actually outperformed Aeromexico, with 88% of its flights arriving on time. However, Copa doesn't technically meet Cirium's global network criteria for that ranking — though the Star Alliance airline did take the crown among Latin American carriers.
Most on-time airlines in the US
The top U.S. airlines for on-time performance in 2024 included:
- Delta
- United Airlines (80.9%)
- Alaska Airlines (79.3%)
Delta's top ranking among U.S. airlines came despite a mid-July meltdown in the wake of a global technology outage at CrowdStrike, which saw the Atlanta-based carrier cancel thousands of flights over a five-day period.
Yet, its full-year performance still ranked ahead of its closest U.S. competitors, Cirium said.
"Their recovery was superb, because the month after that whole issue occurred, they were at 91% [on-time flights] in August," said Mike Malik, Cirium chief marketing officer.
Delta was the top-performing carrier in TPG's Best U.S. Airlines in 2024 report released last spring. We'll ultimately have to see how Delta stacks up when we crunch the numbers again this year.
Other regions of the world
Iberia Express, a regional subsidiary of Madrid-based Iberia, ranked first among European airlines in 2024 on-time performance, Cirium announced.
The mainline Spanish flag carrier ranked second, followed by Scandinavian Airlines, which in 2024 became the newest member of the SkyTeam alliance following years of financial turmoil.
"SAS is making huge strides and investment into I.T. and technology, and also fleet, as well," Malik noted.
Japan Airlines was the top performer in the Asia Pacific region, narrowly topping Japanese competitor All Nippon Airways.
Read more: Japan Airlines' A350-1000 inaugural from New York to Tokyo: Same great service, fabulous new seats
South Africa-based Safair led the rankings in the Middle East/Africa region.
Top airports in the world for on-time performance
Cirium also compiled rankings for the world's best airports for on-time departures.
Among large hubs, here's how the top three shook out in 2024:
- King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu
- Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru
Honolulu's airport is the biggest airport in Hawaii, serving as a vital connection for interisland flights in the state and also as a gateway to Asia. It's also a new global hub for the newly merged airline comprising the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands.
Panama City's Tocumen International Airport (PTY) was the best medium-size airport in the world for on-time flights, Cirium said, with Guayaquil, Ecuador's Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport (GYE) leading among small airports.
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- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
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