OAG: Delta Tops Large Airline On-Time Performance for 2023

Delta Air Lines was named 2023's most on-time airline among large global carriers in OAG's annual on-time performance report, released Thursday. 

The airlines included in this category are based on their number of flights and available seat miles, or capacity, according to OAG.

Delta flights for the year were on time 83.2 percent of the time, followed by Latam at 82.7 percent and Azul Airlines at 82.4 percent. A flight is considered on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. Delta repeated its 2022 performance for being the North American carrier with the best on-time performance and improved from last year's 81.8 percent. The carrier also was the top North American performer in Cirium's 2023 on-time report. 

North American carriers claimed four of the top 10 spots, with another three—Southwest Airlines (75.5 percent), Spirit Airlines (69.5 percent) and JetBlue (68.3 percent)—landing in the top 20. 

"Strong on-time performance results from Delta, American, United and others point to a collective effort by the industry to overcome challenges posed by manufacturing disruptions, supply chain challenges and operational pressures," OAG chief analyst John Grant said in the report. "We expect on-time performance to improve in the coming year, especially in the U.S. market as we see major airlines and airports competing to cut down on delays to ensure traveler satisfaction and loyalty."

Top N. American Airports

The 2023 leader among large on-time North American airports by departing flights was Minneapolis/St. Paul at 82.6 percent, representing a 2.2 percentage-point increase from 2022. Seattle-Tacoma (82.5 percent) came in second, followed by Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (81.9 percent).

Only one Canadian airport made the top 20 list—Toronto in 20th with a 63.1 percent score. 

 OAG: Delta Top N. American On-Time Airline for 2022