In 2023, Republic Airline emerged as the top performer in terms of on-time flight departures among major US carriers, with only 11.9% of flights delayed. This marked a significant improvement from 2022 when 15.8% of Republic Airline flights were delayed. Notably, Republic Airline also had the earliest average departure time, with flights leaving just 4.67 minutes after the scheduled time.
On the other end of the spectrum, Frontier Airlines struggled with delays, with a staggering 34.9% of domestic flights departing late in 2023. This means that over a third of Frontier flights were either delayed by more than 15 minutes or canceled. The average departure time for Frontier flights was 29.43 minutes after the scheduled time.
Interestingly, the top five airlines for on-time performance in 2023 were all relatively small carriers, with less than 3% of the market share. In contrast, the larger airlines like Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, which operate a higher volume of flights, fell closer to the national average in terms of on-time performance.
Budget airlines, including Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Frontier Airlines, were among the worst performers in terms of delays. However, a study by the University of Virginia Department of Economics found that airports with a higher percentage of low-cost airline flights actually had shorter delay times overall. This suggests that the quick-turnaround approach of budget carriers may have a positive impact on airport punctuality.