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Japan's top carriers were the most on-time airlines in 2021
Ethan Klapper
Contributor
Ethan Klapper is a former senior aviation reporter at TPG who focused on the operational side of the airline industry. He joined TPG from Yahoo News in 2021, where he served as senior audience development editor, overseeing social media and audience development strategy. Prior to joining the Yahoo News team in 2018, Ethan worked at HuffPost.
Dec. 29, 2021
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3 min read
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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| Ranking | Airline | On-Time Arrival Rate | Completion 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:
| Ranking | Airline | On-Time Arrival Rate | Completion 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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