Which US airlines were the most punctual?
Delta Air Lines came out on top in November 2025, with 80.85% of its flights arriving on time. Hawaiian Airlines followed at 79.89%, with Alaska Airlines close behind at 79.83%.
The rankings cover 10 major US carriers that travelers can book directly, so the airline with the best punctuality record is one you can actually choose for your trip.
Across both Novembers, Delta also held the strongest average at 84.74%, ahead of Hawaiian Airlines (84.53%) and Southwest Airlines (82.63%), while Alaska Airlines (81.13%) and Spirit Airlines (81.06%) rounded out the top five.
See the full ranking of all 10 airlines analyzed by average on-time arrival rate across November 2024 and November 2025:
Airline | On-time arrivals (November 2024) | On-time arrivals (November 2025) | Average |
|---|
Delta | 88.63% | 80.85%
| 84.74%
|
|---|
Hawaiian Airlines
| 89.17%
| 79.89% | 84.53%
|
|---|
Southwest Airlines
| 86.89% | 78.36% | 82.63%
|
|---|
Alaska Airlines
| 82.42% | 79.83% | 81.13%
|
|---|
Spirit Airlines
| 85.39%
| 76.72% | 81.06%
|
|---|
United Airlines
| 82.42% | 78.03%
| 80.23%
|
|---|
Allegiant Air
| 84.08% | 76.09%
| 80.09%
|
|---|
American Airlines
| 82.83%
| 74.76% | 78.80%
|
|---|
JetBlue
| 84.19% | 72.66% | 78.43%
|
|---|
Frontier Airlines
| 76.74%
| 74.31% | 75.53%
|
|---|
| | | |
|---|
Source: Saily analysis of Bureau of Transportation Statistics (opens in a new tab) data from November 2024 and November 2025.
What changed in November 2025?
One pattern stands out in the results — every airline was less punctual in November 2025 than in November 2024, although some declines were far steeper than others.
Across the 10 airlines, the average on-time arrival rate fell from 84.28% to 77.15% — a drop of 7.13 percentage points. To put that into perspective, nine of the 10 airlines recorded on-time arrival rates above 80% in November 2024. In the consecutive year, only one managed to reach that mark.
The figures paint a noticeably different picture of US airline punctuality between the two years.
Delta’s 80.85% in November 2025 was down from 88.63% the previous November, but it was still the best result among the 10 airlines analyzed.
Alaska Airlines gained the most ground. Although its on-time arrival rate fell by just 2.59 percentage points, it climbed from joint eighth place in November 2024 to third in November 2025. Its relatively small decline helped it move ahead of several airlines that had performed better the previous year.
JetBlue, meanwhile, saw the biggest drop in punctuality. Its on-time arrival rate fell from 84.19% in November 2024 to 72.66% in November 2025 — a decrease of 11.53 percentage points. That took the airline from fifth place in November 2024 to last just a year later. Hawaiian Airlines and Spirit Airlines also saw substantial declines, falling by 9.28 and 8.67 percentage points respectively.
What caused the delays in November 2025?
National aviation system (NAS) delays — which cover air traffic control issues and airport congestion — accounted for much of the drop in punctuality, rising sharply for almost every airline. Spirit Airlines was hit hardest, with NAS delays affecting 10.92% of its flights, up from 6.96% a year earlier. Hawaiian Airlines was the clear exception at just 0.22%, but it faced a different problem instead. Its air carrier delays, which are within the airline’s own control, nearly doubled to 11.72% — the highest of any airline in the analysis.
It’s worth remembering that November 2025 was an unusually challenging month for US air travel. Air traffic controller staffing shortages during the federal government shutdown prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to announce temporary flight reductions at 40 major airports (opens in a new tab). Even so, these figures can’t show exactly how much of each airline’s decline came down to the shutdown-related disruptions.
Not all causes of delays were on the rise, though. Weather delays remained rare in both Novembers, typically affecting well under 1% of flights, and security delays barely registered at all — so the 2025 decline can’t be put down to either.
Which airlines canceled the fewest flights?
A canceled flight can disrupt Thanksgiving plans far more than a delayed one. Allegiant Air recorded the lowest cancellation rate across both Novembers, averaging just 0.44%, ahead of Delta (0.87%) and United Airlines (0.90%).
JetBlue sat at the opposite end. It was the only airline with zero cancellations in November 2024, but a year later its rate hit 2.96% — the highest of the 10 airlines analyzed.
Airline | Canceled flights (November 2024) | Canceled flights (November 2025) | Average |
|---|
Allegiant Air
| 0.06%
| 0.81% | 0.44%
|
|---|
Delta | 0.03%
| 1.70%
| 0.87%
|
|---|
United Airlines
| 0.30%
| 1.49% | 0.90%
|
|---|
Alaska Airlines
| 0.59%
| 1.31% | 0.95% |
|---|
Southwest Airlines
| 0.34%
| 1.73% | 1.04% |
|---|
Hawaiian Airlines
| 0.45%
| 1.95% | 1.20% |
|---|
Spirit Airlines
| 0.28%
| 2.29% | 1.29% |
|---|
American Airlines
| 0.64%
| 2.12% | 1.38% |
|---|
Frontier Airlines
| 0.86%
| 1.99% | 1.43% |
|---|
JetBlue
| 0.00%
| 2.96% | 1.48%
|
|---|
| | | |
|---|
Source: Saily analysis of Bureau of Transportation Statistics data from November 2024 and November 2025.
The pattern mirrors the on-time results: The average cancellation rate across the 10 airlines jumped from 0.36% to 1.81% — a fivefold increase. Delta stands out for consistency here too, pairing the best on-time performance in November 2025 with a cancellation rate well below average.
What does this mean for Thanksgiving travelers?
If you’re planning to fly over Thanksgiving, these rankings offer a useful starting point when comparing airlines. Delta, Hawaiian, and Southwest achieved the strongest average results across November 2024 and November 2025, and Delta and Southwest also kept cancellations low. But it’s worth looking past the overall ranking. A carrier with an impressive national track record won’t necessarily perform equally well on every route or at every airport.
Even the most punctual airline can’t guarantee an on-time arrival, especially during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Bad weather, airport congestion, air traffic control restrictions, and delays earlier in the day can all affect flight schedules. Remember to also check which airline will actually operate your flight because the name on your booking may differ from the airline operating the aircraft.
Another thing to bear in mind is that our results cover the entire months of November 2024 and November 2025, rather than Thanksgiving week specifically, so they reflect overall November performance rather than conditions on the holiday itself. And because we measured past performance, the data can’t be treated as a prediction of what will happen this year. If you’re booking connecting flights, allowing a little extra time between them can help reduce the stress of unexpected delays. Checking your flight status before heading to the airport and keeping an eye on airline notifications can also help you stay one step ahead of any changes to your travel plans.
Methodology
Saily analyzed data published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics at the US Department of Transportation, comparing on-time arrival rates for 10 airlines in November 2024 and November 2025.
An arrival is considered on time if the aircraft reaches the gate less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time of arrival. Each airline’s two-year average is the mean of its November 2024 and November 2025 percentages. The overall figures are simple averages across all 10 airlines, rather than being weighted by the number of flights each operated. The delay-cause breakdown uses the BTS delay cause categories, which count delays of 15 minutes or more by cause.
The analysis also compares each airline’s cancellation rate in the same two months, averaged the same way.
Saily is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any of the airlines named in this analysis.
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