Aviation analytics firm Cirium has released its North American On-Time Performance Report for 2022. In 2022, Cirium tracked more than 5 million flights, 99.55% of all flights in North America. The monthly on-time performance reports that Cirium releases for airlines serve as the perfect hint for which airline had the highest on-time performance this year. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines earned the #1 spot with an OTP of 84.1%.

On-time performance

Cirium's criteria for on-time flights is that flights arrive at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time. Cirium tracked 5,071,137 flights between January 1 and December 15, and 71.91% were classified as on-time arrivals.

Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen said,

“Congratulations to Delta Air Lines for their excellent punctuality performance in Cirium’s 2022 On-Time Performance Review, getting their passengers to their destination on time across North America as the market revived during 2022. Ramping back up operations so quickly after an enforced slowdown is not easy to do and the top-ranked North American airlines in Cirium’s 2022 On-Time Performance Review deserve their recognition for this well-orchestrated achievement.”

Delta is king

Delta has earned the top spot in Cirium's OTP report for two consecutive years. Though the airline has not featured in as many significant headlines as airlines like United Airlines, the Atlanta-based airline has quietly maintained the best on-time performance of any airline in North America. Every month, Cirium releases its monthly airline and airport on-time performance results. Delta was number one in North America for eight of the eleven months the report is available. The airline had two four-month runs at the number one stop, but it was knocked out over the summer by Alaska Airlines, which held the number one spot for three consecutive months.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 717 ATL
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
When the report was shared with Simple Flying, Cirium noted that the top 10 airlines likely would not change, but after the past week, that may or may not be the case. Airlines throughout the United States and Canada have struggled significantly, notably Southwest Airlines, which has canceled 70% of flights on its worst days. Below are the top 10 airlines for OTP in 2022:
Ranking Airline OTP Rate Flights
1 Delta Air Lines 84.1% 959,987
2 Alaska Airlines 81.42% 231,248
3 United Airlines 81.26% 749,725
4 American Airlines 78.77% 1,025,075
5 Southwest Airlines 74.68% 1,272,778
6 Frontier Airlines 68.99% 161,982
7 JetBlue Airways 67.13% 327,055
8 Allegiant Air 66.49% 110,703
9 WestJet 60.66% 89,443
10 Air Canada 55.56% 143,141
As noted above, the airline with the next highest on-time performance was Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, 81.42%, almost three percent lower than Delta. Alaska had nearly one-fourth the number of flights that Delta had. Two very interesting things to note in the results are the fourth and fifth-placed American and Southwest and their number of flights. The two Dallas-based carriers were the only airlines in North America to surpass one million flights in 2022, yet Delta, the airline with the next highest number of flights, beat them by a large margin.

Why is Delta on top, and why are Canadian airlines at the bottom?

After canceling a significant portion of its operations early this summer, Delta learned a few things. According to CEO Ed Bastian, the airline made a few changes that led to the airline closing out the year well. Earlier this year, Delta changed how it schedules pilots and cabin crew to ensure more personnel were ready to fly daily. Cutting flights in anticipation of disruptions played a big part in the airline's success.
“We're positioned for the balance of this year to stay where we're at. That level of stability gives the operation the capability to focus on the task at hand.” - Ed Bastian, CEO, Delta Air Lines

Delta also introduced a new boarding process, with extended time, allowing more time between flights and for flights to depart on time.

Air Canada Boeing 787 FLL
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Seeing two Canadian carriers at the bottom of Cirium's list should not come as a surprise. Air Canada made headlines this summer because of short staffing, especially with ground crew. Airports were also extremely short-staffed, with numerous disruptions occurring at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Below are some of the major stories out of Canada this summer:

Do any of the carriers on the list surprise you? Why? Let us know in the comment section below.