Delta earns 'most on-time airline' in North America title for 5th year

From government shutdowns to foggy morning and thunderstorms, flight delays have become a normal part of airline travel.

For major airlines, that might operate thousands of flights per day, a few delayed flights can push the entire schedule off track, leaving passengers waiting or stranded.

But for the fifth year in a row, Delta Air Lines has been identified as the "most on-time" airline in North America, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

Here's what to know.

80% of Delta flights on schedule

Per Cirium analytics, 80.9% of all Delta flights had on-time arrivals during 2025.

This was across 1.8 million flights, the second-most for a carrier in North America. American Airlines ran 2.25 million flights in 2025.

Of those 1.8 million flights, 99.96% of them were tracked flights, and 98.72% of them were completed as planned.

"Every day, Delta people keep safety at the forefront while remaining steadfastly focused on on-time performance," John Laughter, E.V.P and chief of operations for Delta said in a statement. "Earning top marks for North American operators for five years running is a testament to the industry-leading teamwork of Delta people and a direct result of their dedication to our customers and each other."

Top 10 "on-time" airlines in North America

Here are the top ten airlines in the United States and Canada for on-time flights. Airlines from Mexico were grouped with "Latin America Airlines" for the Cirium report.

1. Delta Air Lines — 80.9% across 1.8 million flights
2. Alaska Airlines — 79.2% across 453,000 flights
3. Spirit Airlines — 78.83% across 218,000 flights
4. United Airlines — 78.77% across 1.7 million flights
5. Southwest Airlines — 77.04% across 1.4 million flights
6. American Airlines — 76.43% across 2.2 million flights
7. JetBlue — 74.66% across 313,000 flights
8. WestJet — 73.58% across 205,000 flights
9. Air Canada — 73.26% across 383,000 flights
10. Frontier Airlines — 72.14% across 208,000 flights

Top 10 "on-time" airlines in the world

Globally, Delta Air Lines was the only U.S. company to make the top ten, according to Cirium. Three other airlines from the western hemisphere made up the top spots.

Delta had the largest number of flights globally from the top ten on-time airlines.

1. Aeromexico
2. Saudia
3. SAS
4. Azul
5. Qatar Airways
6. Iberia
7. LATAM Airlines
8. Avianca
9. Turkish Airlines
10. Delta Air Lines

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].