Alaska Airlines Leads On-Time Performance

In a month marked by significant disruptions in air travel, Alaska Airlines emerged as the most on-time carrier in North America for July. According to aviation analytics company Cirium, Alaska Airlines achieved an on-time percentage of 77.51 percent. This performance, while slightly lower than their June on-time percentage of 77.79 percent, still placed them at the top in a month that saw widespread flight delays due to the CrowdStrike IT outage.

Comparative Performance of Major Airlines

United Airlines secured the second position in North America with an on-time percentage of 73.12 percent, down from 77.44 percent in June. Delta Air Lines, which led in June with over 80 percent of flights on time, dropped to third place in July with a 72.36 percent on-time rate. Delta’s performance was adversely affected by nearly 6,500 flight cancellations following the CrowdStrike IT meltdown. The airline has since agreed to reimburse travelers for expenses incurred due to these disruptions.

Industry-Wide Cancellations and Global Performance

The overall landscape for North American airlines in July was challenging, with the highest number of flight cancellations globally, marking a 98 percent increase compared to June. A total of 23,393 flights were canceled in July compared to 11,806 in June. JetBlue and Southwest rounded out the top five for on-time performance in North America, with percentages of 69.57 and 69.54, respectively.

On the global stage, Saudia was the highest-performing airline with an impressive on-time rate of 88.15 percent, maintaining its top ranking from June. Brazilian airline Azul and Chilean carrier LATAM Airlines followed with on-time percentages of 85.2 and 84.65, respectively.

Conclusion

Despite the turbulent circumstances in July, Alaska Airlines demonstrated remarkable punctuality. Such performance metrics are crucial for travelers prioritizing reliability, especially during periods of widespread disruptions.