These airlines were the most on time in 2024, analysis finds

Mexican airline Aeromexico had the world’s best record for on-time arrivals in 2024, according to a new annual ranking. Delta Air Lines scored the highest among U.S. carriers despite a computer outage that caused thousands of flight cancellations in July.

Aviation data provider Cirium said in a report released Thursday that nearly 87% of Aeromexico flights arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival, a widely used measure of on-time performance among airlines.

Saudia, the flagship carrier of Saudi Arabia, ranked second worldwide, with an on-time performance rate of just over 86%, according to Cirium.

Cirium has rated airlines for timeliness for 16 years. This year’s ranking is bases on data from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information, according to the report. To qualify for the on-time ranking, airlines must provide 80% actual gate arrival time data coverage. 

CEO Jeremy Bowen said 2024 was a difficult year for airlines due to severe weather patterns and the summer technology outage. The winning airlines therefore deserved credit for getting most passengers to their destinations on time, Bowen said.

Atlanta-based Delta achieved an on-time rate of more than 83%, good enough to rank third worldwide. The next-best U.S. carriers were United Airlines, at nearly 81%, and Alaska Airlines, at just over 79%, Cirium said.

Canada’s WestJet, Air Canada and Denver-based budget airline Frontier finished at the bottom of the pack among U.S. and Canadian carriers, with on-time ratings below 72%.

Missing from the list is Jet Blue, which on Friday was fined $2 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation for “operating multiple chronically delayed flights.” The fine marks the first such penalty by the federal agency.

Here are the top 10 global airlines for on-time arrivals in 2024, according to Cirium:

1. Aeromexico (86.70%) 
2. Saudi (86.35%)
3. Delta Air Lines (83.46%)
4. LATAM Airlines (82.89%)
5. Qatar Airways (82.83%) 
6. Azul (82.42%)
7. Avianca (81.80%) 
8. Iberia (81.58%) 
9. SAS (81.40%) 
10. United Airlines (80.93%)

Keeping on schedule isn’t only a reputational issue for carriers. The Department of Transportation on Friday announced that it is fining JetBlue $2 million for “operating multiple chronically delayed flights,” marking the first such penalty by the federal agency.

“Today’s action puts the entire airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “The department will enforce the law against airlines with chronic delays or other unrealistic scheduling practices in order to protect healthy competition in commercial aviation and ensure passengers are treated fairly.”