Burned by holiday delays? Book these airlines with the best on-time records in 2025

Some good news for those who love to travel: Air travel is bouncing back from post-pandemic lows with international destinations leading the way. But as anyone who has traveled recently knows, flight delays are still a huge problem. And with more flights predicted to take off in 2025, that isn’t likely to get better anytime soon. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is forecasting a 4.6% increase in departures from last year. That’s a whopping 40 million flights scheduled to take off in 2025, as reported by CNBC.

But in more helpful news for travelers, new aviation data from Cirium has ranked airlines for their punctuality within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrivals. And the data shows that Delta Air Lines was on time 83.46% of the time in its 2024 On-Time Performance Review, making it the number one-ranked airline in the U.S. and Canada, and third most on-time globally.

For international travelers, Aeromexico was on time 86.7% of the time, making it the most punctual airline among international carriers.

Research shows nearly 9 out of 10 business travelers face flight delays, cancellations, or disruptions, or need to reroute their itinerary. This comes as airlines, hit hard by the pandemic, continue to face acute staffing and airplane shortages in addition to extreme weather events.

Here’s a list of the top ten most punctual airlines, with the percentage they are on time, according to Cirium and reported by CNBC.

Global Carriers

1. Aeromexico (86.7%)
2. Saudia Airlines (86.35%)
3. Delta Air Lines (83.46%)
4. LATAM Airlines (82.89%)
5. Qatar Airways (82.83%)
6. Azul Airlines (82.42%)
7. Avianca (81.80%)
8. Iberia (81.58%)
9. Scandinavian Airlines (81.40%)
10. United Airlines (80.93%)

U.S. and Canadian airlines

1. Delta Air Lines (83.46%)
2. United Airlines (80.93%)
3. Alaska Airlines (79.25%)
4. American Airlines (77.78%)
5. Southwest Airlines (77.77%)
6. Spirit Airlines (76.05%)
7. JetBlue Airways (74.53%)
8. Frontier Airlines (71.57%)
9. Air Canada (71.36%)
10. WestJet (70.99%)