Airline On-Time Performance: How 10 US Airlines Compare
Matt — Founder & Airline Pilot. Published October 15, 2026. 8 min read.
Figures checked against DelayGuard BTS tables on 2026-10-15. Canonical page: US airline delay rankings.
Delta was the most punctual of the 10 major US airlines on DelayGuard: 17.8% of its flights arrived 15 or more minutes late. Frontier was the least punctual at 29.3%, and American Airlines came in at 25.0%. Across all US flights in the data, 21.2% arrived 15+ minutes late. (Based on BTS data, Jan 2023 to Dec 2025.)
What the numbers mean: Delay % is the share of flights that arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics "ArrDel15" measure). It counts only flights that weren't cancelled or diverted, from January 2023 to December 2025. Cancel % is the share of scheduled flights that were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
The Comparison Table
Click any column header to sort. Default order is Delay %, lowest first.
| Airline | Delay % (arrived 15+ min late, 2023–2025) | Flights counted (2023–2025) | Cancel % (2024–2025) | Airline page |
|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 17.8% | 2,983,184 | 1.00% | Delta delays |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 18.9% | 236,810 | 0.93% | Hawaiian delays |
| United Airlines | 20.7% | 2,252,227 | 1.22% | United delays |
| Southwest Airlines | 21.3% | 4,202,672 | 0.84% | Southwest delays |
| Alaska Airlines | 21.6% | 724,893 | 1.58% | Alaska delays |
| Allegiant Air | 24.2% | 359,199 | 1.06% | Allegiant delays |
| American Airlines | 25.0% | 2,847,015 | 1.68% | American delays |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operations May 2, 2026; historical record) | 25.2% | 705,662 | 1.74% | Spirit delays |
| JetBlue Airways | 27.8% | 730,301 | 1.60% | JetBlue delays |
| Frontier Airlines | 29.3% | 571,133 | 2.05% | Frontier delays |
| All US flights | 21.2% | | | |
Source: DelayGuard analysis of BTS on-time data. Delay % covers Jan 2023 to Dec 2025, non-cancelled and non-diverted flights. Cancel % covers 2024 to 2025, all scheduled flights.
Key Numbers in One Line Each
- Delta Air Lines (DL): 17.8% of Delta Air Lines flights arrived 15+ minutes late (BTS, 2023–2025), the lowest of the 10 major US airlines.
- Hawaiian Airlines (HA): 18.9% of Hawaiian Airlines flights arrived 15+ minutes late, the second-lowest.
- United Airlines: 20.7% arrived 15+ minutes late, just below the 21.2% average for all US flights.
- Southwest Airlines: 21.3% arrived 15+ minutes late, but it had the lowest cancellation rate, at 0.84% in 2024–2025.
- Alaska Airlines (AS): 21.6% of Alaska Airlines flights (Alaska only, not including Hawaiian) arrived 15+ minutes late; 1.58% were cancelled in 2024–2025.
- Allegiant Air: 24.2% arrived 15+ minutes late; 1.06% were cancelled.
- What percentage of American Airlines flights are delayed? 25.0% of American Airlines (AA) flights arrived 15 or more minutes late across 2,847,015 flights from January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), about 1 in 4. 1.68% of scheduled American flights were cancelled in 2024–2025.
- Spirit Airlines (NK): Spirit cancelled all flights and began an orderly wind-down of operations on May 2, 2026 (Spirit Aviation Holdings statement, May 2, 2026). Its historical record: 25.2% of Spirit flights arrived 15+ minutes late (BTS, Jan 2023 to Dec 2025), and 1.74% were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
- JetBlue Airways (B6): 27.8% of JetBlue flights arrived 15+ minutes late; 1.60% were cancelled.
- How often are Frontier flights delayed? 29.3% of Frontier Airlines (F9) flights arrived 15+ minutes late from January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), roughly 3 in 10, the highest of the 10, and Frontier also had the highest cancellation rate, 2.05%.
Delays and Cancellations Are Different Risks
An airline can be often late but rarely cancel, or the other way round. Southwest's delay rate (21.3%) is close to the national average, yet its 2024–2025 cancellation rate (0.84%) was the lowest in the table. Frontier was highest on both measures: 29.3% delayed and 2.05% cancelled. If missing a connection or an event would ruin your trip, look at both columns. See cancellation rates by airline and airport.
A Pilot's Take: Why Airlines Differ
From the flight deck, an airline's delay rate mostly comes down to three things:
- Where it flies. Airlines whose hubs are in thunderstorm country, or in congested airspace like New York or Florida, start with more risk before they push back. That's why it helps to compare airports as well as airlines.
- How tightly the schedule is built. An aircraft that flies six or seven legs a day with short turnarounds carries any morning delay into the evening. Airlines that build in more slack recover faster.
- Spare aircraft and crews. When something breaks or a crew runs out of duty time, a carrier with spares can swap and go. A carrier without them cancels or waits.
The practical upshot: the airline matters, but the time of day often matters more. Across all US flights, 11.0% of flights scheduled before 8 AM arrived 15+ minutes late, compared with 28.7% of flights scheduled after 8 PM (Based on BTS data, Jan 2023 to Dec 2025).
Regional Airlines: The Names on Your Ticket That Aren't on the Plane
Many shorter routes under the big airline brands are flown by regional airlines. Your booking will usually say "operated by…". DelayGuard's data includes five of them:
| Regional airline | Delay % (2023–2025) | Flights counted | Cancel % (2024–2025) |
|---|
| Endeavor Air (9E) | 14.9% | 391,977 | 2.30% |
| Republic Airways (YX) | 16.5% | 915,840 | 2.61% |
| SkyWest (OO) | 18.8% | 2,223,949 | 1.29% |
| Envoy Air (MQ) | 20.2% | 791,847 | 1.85% |
| PSA Airlines (OH) | 22.4% | 651,427 | 3.18% |
Several regionals had lower delay rates than most mainline airlines but higher cancellation rates. PSA's 3.18% is the highest cancellation rate in this article. These carriers count toward the 21.2% national figure but don't yet have their own airline pages on DelayGuard.
How to Use This When You Book
- Compare the route as well as the airline. The same airline can be reliable on one route and not on another. Check the airline pages and compare airports.
- Fly early where you can (11.0% vs 28.7%, above).
- Look at "operated by" to see whether a regional airline is flying your trip.
- Check your actual flight. DelayGuard's free predictor scores flights across 80 US airports and 15 airlines.
Check Your Own Flight
This ranking averages routes, seasons and times of day. Your flight will differ with the route, departure time, month and current conditions. Use DelayGuard's predictor for a flight-specific estimate, and the cancellation rates page for cancellation history.
Related Reading
How we know: DelayGuard analysis of US Bureau of Transportation Statistics on-time data. Delay rates cover January 2023 to December 2025; cancellation rates cover 2024 to 2025.
All articles | Flight delay prediction