One of the biggest travel decisions you’ll have to make when planning your next vacation is how you’re going to get to your destination. Will you drive? Fly? Take a Doom Buggy? (We wish that last option were more practical.)

Let’s fly to Disney World

If you do choose to fly, that opens up an entirely new question — which airline will you choose? To help with that dilemma, we’ve found a ranking of the BEST and WORST airlines in the United States, ranked by the delays, cancelations and on-time arrivals.

The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (part of the DOT) recently released an updated Air Travel Consumer Report with details about how the industry as a whole is doing. This report contains data for many different aspects of airlines’ relationships with consumers, including how often luggage is mishandled, how many flights arrive on time, and how many incidents were reported by each company.

American Airlines Plane

This report examined statistics from January-December 2023. Although more reports have since appeared, this one provided more detailed statistics, including one report that we were particularly interested in: on-time arrivals.

Eight out of the twelve months from 2023, Delta Airlines and its branded partners ranked number one for the most on-time flights. Alaska Airlines and American were also near the top of the airline list for most on-time flights. And Frontier Airlines was ranked 10th the most frequently, coming in last for four months out of the year. JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines also wound up at the bottom of the ranking list with some of the most delayed or canceled flights for 2023.

©The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection

This data is fairly consistent with the results from 2022. In 2022, Delta still led the pack with the most on-time flight arrivals, followed by Alaskan Airlines, and then United Airlines, with American Airlines trailing in fourth place. The least punctual airlines in 2022 were Allegiant Air, followed closely by JetBlue and Frontier Airlines.

©The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection

You can also review the punctuality of airlines based on which airports they fly into. This can be particularly helpful when choosing a flight based on a specific destination.

©The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection

If you’re planning your Disney World Vacation and flying into Orlando International Airport (MCO), then once again, Delta Airlines could be your top choice of airline to make sure your vacation starts on time. Over 85% of Delta’s flights into MCO arrived on time in 2023. It’s particularly interesting to note that at MCO, United Airlines actually came in third as one of the most punctual airlines, with 84.4% on-time flights, even though their national ranking dropped them down to fourth overall.

Delta also had the fewest canceled flights in 2023, while Hawaiian Airlines had the most.

©The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection

The report also goes into the details regarding the causes of delays. Delay accounted for were:

• Air Carrier Delay: The cancellation or delay was caused by circumstances within the airline’s control (e.g., maintenance or crew problems, etc.).
• Extreme Weather Delay: Significant meteorological conditions (actual or forecasted) that, in the judgment of the carrier, delays or prevents the operation of a flight.
• National Aviation System Delay: Delays and cancellations attributable to the national aviation system refer to a broad set of conditions — non-extreme weather conditions, airport operations, heavy traffic volume, air traffic control, etc.
• Security Delay: Delays caused by evacuation of terminal or concourse, re-boarding of aircraft because of a security breach, inoperative screening equipment, and long lines of more than 29 minutes at screening areas.
• Late Arriving Aircraft Delay: The previous flight with the same aircraft arrived late, which caused the present flight to depart late.

©The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection

The single biggest cause of air travel delays in 2023 was a Late Arrive Aircraft Delay at 5.49%. Frontier had the most delays in this category at 10.04% followed by JetBlue at 9.46%. This goes to show that ripple effect of one flight delay which might occur due to weather or technical issues can impact many flights and airline crew availability after it.

Southwest Airplane

From this data, it looks like some of the worst airlines for delays and cancelations include Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and JetBlue Airways.

Spirit Airlines Safety Documents

Keep in mind that there may be other factors that impact your decision on which airline to choose. For example, JetBlue may have the most delays, but it might be the most affordable airline that travels to Orlando from your local airport.

©Frontier Airlines

If you’re planning to fly to Disney World soon, check out these posts:

• CONFIRMED: The Safest Seats To Choose on an Airplane
• How To Handle the Record-Breaking Crowds a the Orlando Airport
• These Are the Most Annoying Airplane Passengers — Are You One of Them?
• The Random Thing You Can’t Bring on an Airplane

Stay tuned to DFB for more news that may impact your upcoming Disney vacation!

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Which airline do you usually choose to fly with? Let us know in the comments.