Want an On-Time Arrival? Book With a Regional Airline
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
If you are looking to increase your odds of arriving at your destination on time, you might want to consider booking with a regional airline instead of a mainline carrier.
That is what new data from the US Department of Transportation shows. The preliminary DOT report, released Tuesday, included regional carriers for the first time. And a handful of these small but mighty airlines showed up their major carrier counterparts when it came to on-time arrivals.
Specifically in July, four US regional carriers — SkyWest, Endeavor Air, ExpressJet and Republic Airlines — all had better on-time percentages than massive industry players American, United, JetBlue and Southwest. (However, the actual flights of those regional players are in the colors and under the flight numbers of the majors, such as American, United and Delta.)
In fact, SkyWest, which is the largest, was ranked fourth overall among US carriers for on-time flights. Its flights are on-time 80.4% of the time. Endeavor followed in the fifth overall spot, with a 77.5% on-time rate. ExpressJet closely trailed at No. 6, with its flight on time 77.2% of the time, and Republic scooped up the No. 7 slot with an on-time rate of 75.2%.
American and JetBlue were the lowest-ranking of the major airlines, with JetBlue barely edging out ultra-low-cost Allegiant, with 67.2% and 67% on-time rates, respectively.
Regional carriers, dubbed “branded codeshare partners” by DOT, are a huge swath of the commercial aviation industry. They transport roughly a quarter of all US airline passengers every year. And in 2018, more than half of domestic flights were taken on regional carriers.
Here is the full on-time arrivals ranking, based on DOT’s preliminary data for July:
- Hawaiian: 92.6% on time
- Delta: 83.4% on time
- Alaska: 82.9%
- SkyWest: 80.4%
- Endeavor: 77.5%
- ExpressJet: 77.2%
- Republic: 75.6%
- United: 75.1%
- Mesa: 74.7%
- Southwest: 74.5%
- Envoy: 74.3%
- PSA: 74.0%
- Spirit: 73.6%
- American: 70.0%
- JetBlue: 67.2%
- Allegiant: 67.0%
- Frontier: 59.7%
H/T: Bloomberg
Featured image of an Embraer 145 regional jet courtesy of United Airlines.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,600
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 3X points on dining and 2x points on travel, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.