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Japan's top carriers were the most on-time airlines in 2021

Dec. 29, 2021
3 min read
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Japan's top carriers were the most on-time airlines in 2021
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Japanese airlines offered up some impressive on-time performance in 2021.

The country's two network carriers were the most on-time airlines in the world this year, according to aviation data provider Cirium.

All Nippon Airways took top billing, with a 95.04% on-time arrival rate and a completion factor of 99.24%, meaning that just 0.76% of all flights were canceled.

Japan Airlines took the number two spot, with an on-time arrival rate of 94.13% and an identical completion factor of 99.24%.

The top U.S. carrier on this list was Delta Air Lines, in the number five spot, which saw 87.80% of its flights arrive on time, with a 99.82% completion factor.

Here's a look at Cirium's top 10 on-time performance list for global mainline carriers — in other words, airlines with global networks, excluding their regional affiliates:

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RankingAirlineOn-Time Arrival RateCompletion Factor
1
All Nippon Airways
 95.04%
 99.24%
2
Japan Airlines
94.13%
99.24%
3
Aeroflot
91.05%
99.58%
4
LATAM Airlines
88.67%
98.87%
5
Delta Air Lines
87.80%
99.82%
6
KLM
86.07%
99.61%
7
S7 Airlines
80.99%
99.74%
8
American Airlines
80.47%
97.50%
9
United Airlines
80.38%
99.08%
10
Saudia
80.24%
98.80%

Here's a look at the top five on-time performance list for North American mainline carriers:

RankingAirlineOn-Time Arrival RateCompletion Factor
1
Delta Air Lines
87.80%
99.82%
2
Alaska Airlines
81.72%
99.06%
3
American Airlines
80.47%
97.50%
4
United Airlines
80.38%
99.08%
5
Spirit Airlines
76.33%
96.48%

In addition, Delta Air Lines won a special "platinum award" for operational excellence.

"It is the world's best performing airline when considering on-time performance, operational complexity and its ability to limit the impact of flight disruption to its passengers," Cirium writes in its on-time performance review.

Related: Airlines cancel nearly 1,000 flights Tuesday as disruptions continue to climb

Cirium started tracking on-time performance again on June 1, when it saw enough of an uptick in flights globally, a spokesperson explained to TPG. The period for the awards spans from June 1 to Dec. 20 — a few days before airlines globally and especially in the U.S. began to see significant operational disruptions due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant, as well as weather.

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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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