Every US airline, side by side
All 15 carriers that filed on-time records over July 2023 through June 2026, on the three measures that actually separate them: how often flights arrived on time, how often they were cancelled, and what the delays were put down to.
Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics
The government makes airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more, sorted into five buckets: late-arriving aircraft, airline operations, air traffic and airport volume, severe weather, and security. Hardly any traveler knows that breakdown is public — it is the most interesting column here, because it separates the delays an airline had a hand in from the ones it did not.
The comparison
Delay mix, left to right — the same order in every row:
- Late-arriving aircraft
- Airline operations
- Air traffic & airport volume
- Severe weather
- Security
| Airline | Arrived on time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical delay | Flights | Delay mix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endeavor Air regional | 85.1% | 85.7% | 2.3% | 80 min | 304,230 | Late-arriving aircraft 38.4% Airline operations 31.9% Air traffic & airport volume 22.5% Severe weather 7.2% Security 0% Delay minutes at Endeavor Air: Late-arriving aircraft 38.4%, Airline operations 31.9%, Air traffic & airport volume 22.5%, Severe weather 7.2%, Security 0%. |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 83.7% | 85.8% | 1% | 49 min | 199,679 | Late-arriving aircraft 33.6% Airline operations 61% Air traffic & airport volume 2.2% Severe weather 2.8% Security 0.5% Delay minutes at Hawaiian Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 33.6%, Airline operations 61%, Air traffic & airport volume 2.2%, Severe weather 2.8%, Security 0.5%. |
| Republic Airways regional | 82.5% | 85.2% | 3.1% | 70 min | 972,199 | Late-arriving aircraft 35.7% Airline operations 24.8% Air traffic & airport volume 33% Severe weather 6.5% Security 0.1% Delay minutes at Republic Airways: Late-arriving aircraft 35.7%, Airline operations 24.8%, Air traffic & airport volume 33%, Severe weather 6.5%, Security 0.1%. |
| Delta Air Lines | 82.3% | 82.4% | 1.1% | 72 min | 3,052,362 | Late-arriving aircraft 29.6% Airline operations 45.8% Air traffic & airport volume 19.8% Severe weather 4.7% Security 0.1% Delay minutes at Delta Air Lines: Late-arriving aircraft 29.6%, Airline operations 45.8%, Air traffic & airport volume 19.8%, Severe weather 4.7%, Security 0.1%. |
| SkyWest Airlines regional | 80.5% | 82.4% | 1.3% | 84 min | 2,356,571 | Late-arriving aircraft 20.8% Airline operations 48.9% Air traffic & airport volume 15.7% Severe weather 14.5% Security 0.1% Delay minutes at SkyWest Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 20.8%, Airline operations 48.9%, Air traffic & airport volume 15.7%, Severe weather 14.5%, Security 0.1%. |
| Envoy Air regional | 80% | 82.1% | 1.8% | 65 min | 857,098 | Late-arriving aircraft 44.2% Airline operations 21.8% Air traffic & airport volume 22.3% Severe weather 11.6% Security 0.1% Delay minutes at Envoy Air: Late-arriving aircraft 44.2%, Airline operations 21.8%, Air traffic & airport volume 22.3%, Severe weather 11.6%, Security 0.1%. |
| United Airlines | 79.9% | 81.4% | 1.2% | 72 min | 2,344,539 | Late-arriving aircraft 38.5% Airline operations 28% Air traffic & airport volume 28.5% Severe weather 5% Security 0% Delay minutes at United Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 38.5%, Airline operations 28%, Air traffic & airport volume 28.5%, Severe weather 5%, Security 0%. |
| Alaska Airlines | 78.9% | 80.3% | 1.3% | 51 min | 782,050 | Late-arriving aircraft 39% Airline operations 30.3% Air traffic & airport volume 26% Severe weather 4.1% Security 0.5% Delay minutes at Alaska Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 39%, Airline operations 30.3%, Air traffic & airport volume 26%, Severe weather 4.1%, Security 0.5%. |
| Southwest Airlines | 78.5% | 75.2% | 0.8% | 54 min | 4,246,645 | Late-arriving aircraft 51.4% Airline operations 27.7% Air traffic & airport volume 18% Severe weather 2.6% Security 0.3% Delay minutes at Southwest Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 51.4%, Airline operations 27.7%, Air traffic & airport volume 18%, Severe weather 2.6%, Security 0.3%. |
| PSA Airlines regional | 76.2% | 77.8% | 3.3% | 88 min | 696,090 | Late-arriving aircraft 49.3% Airline operations 29% Air traffic & airport volume 13.3% Severe weather 8.2% Security 0.2% Delay minutes at PSA Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 49.3%, Airline operations 29%, Air traffic & airport volume 13.3%, Severe weather 8.2%, Security 0.2%. |
| Allegiant Air | 75.9% | 77.2% | 1% | 86 min | 368,181 | Late-arriving aircraft 38.5% Airline operations 32.1% Air traffic & airport volume 18.2% Severe weather 10.9% Security 0.3% Delay minutes at Allegiant Air: Late-arriving aircraft 38.5%, Airline operations 32.1%, Air traffic & airport volume 18.2%, Severe weather 10.9%, Security 0.3%. |
| Spirit Airlines | 75.5% | 74.7% | 2.1% | 71 min | 635,598 | Late-arriving aircraft 28.2% Airline operations 27.3% Air traffic & airport volume 41.1% Severe weather 2.9% Security 0.5% Delay minutes at Spirit Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 28.2%, Airline operations 27.3%, Air traffic & airport volume 41.1%, Severe weather 2.9%, Security 0.5%. |
| American Airlines | 75.1% | 75.3% | 1.7% | 85 min | 2,930,207 | Late-arriving aircraft 47% Airline operations 33.6% Air traffic & airport volume 13.7% Severe weather 5.5% Security 0.2% Delay minutes at American Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 47%, Airline operations 33.6%, Air traffic & airport volume 13.7%, Severe weather 5.5%, Security 0.2%. |
| JetBlue Airways | 72.8% | 73.2% | 1.9% | 79 min | 722,180 | Late-arriving aircraft 40.8% Airline operations 34.4% Air traffic & airport volume 22.1% Severe weather 2.5% Security 0.2% Delay minutes at JetBlue Airways: Late-arriving aircraft 40.8%, Airline operations 34.4%, Air traffic & airport volume 22.1%, Severe weather 2.5%, Security 0.2%. |
| Frontier Airlines | 72% | 72.8% | 2% | 81 min | 608,754 | Late-arriving aircraft 52.2% Airline operations 27.5% Air traffic & airport volume 17.9% Severe weather 2.5% Security 0% Delay minutes at Frontier Airlines: Late-arriving aircraft 52.2%, Airline operations 27.5%, Air traffic & airport volume 17.9%, Severe weather 2.5%, Security 0%. |
Late-arriving aircraft is the knock-on category: the plane came in late, so it went out late again. It is why a 7am problem in Newark is still a problem in Denver at dinnertime, and why it is usually the biggest slice on the bar. Carriers marked regional fly under the majors’ flight numbers and file under their own names — the airline on the ticket and the airline in the row are often not the same company.
How to read the table without being misled
A high on-time share and a high cancellation rate can sit in the same row: cancelling the flight that was going to be four hours late protects one number at the expense of the other. Airlines also fly different maps — a carrier concentrated in the thunderstorm belt is playing a harder game than one built around the West Coast, and neither the on-time share nor the cause mix corrects for that. Read the two together, and read the route pages when a specific trip is what you care about.
Questions about airline on-time records
- Which US airline is most on time?
- Endeavor Air, at 85.1% of arrivals less than 15 minutes behind schedule, with 304,230 flights scheduled, July 2023 through June 2026. Frontier Airlines was at the other end of the table at 72%. Every carrier here files the same way, so the comparison is like for like.
- Which airline cancels the most flights?
- PSA Airlines cancelled 3.3% of its scheduled flights over July 2023 through June 2026; Southwest Airlines cancelled 0.8%. Cancellation rate and on-time rate do not move together — an airline can protect one by sacrificing the other.
- What do the delay-cause categories mean?
- Airlines file a reason with every arrival 15 minutes late or more: late-arriving aircraft (the plane came in late), airline operations (crew, maintenance, fuelling, boarding), air traffic and airport volume, severe weather, and security. The percentages are shares of delay minutes, not of flights.
- Why do regional airlines appear separately from the airline I booked with?
- The government collects on-time records from the airline that operated the flight, not the one that sold the ticket. SkyWest, Envoy, Republic, PSA, Endeavor and the rest fly under the majors’ flight numbers and file under their own names — so a United booking may sit in a SkyWest row here.