Anyone who books a flight wants to make sure they’re able to arrive at their destination on time and, hopefully, without any further issues at the airport. When it comes to domestic travel, a recent study found out which airlines you may want to avoid if you’re keen on reaching your destination on time. Just a heads-up: lots of these are low-budget air carriers, so the solution to some of these troubles may be to pay a bit more for your flight!
Your Frontier Flight Has a 30% Chance of Being Delayed
Frontier had the worst rating for delays and canceled domestic flights. According to the study, 30.7% of its flights across the country experienced some type of delay last year. The rate of canceled flights was also the highest among all airlines. The study showed that 2.13% of all Frontier flights got canceled last year. Looking on the bright side, if you’re running late for a flight on Frontier, you still have a good chance of arriving before boarding.
JetBlue Has Its Own Issues
JetBlue does not fare much better than Frontier. According to the data, 30.4% of the domestic flights operated by the airline were delayed. When it comes to the cancellation rate, JetBlue also comes in second or second to last place, depending on how you want to look at it. That rate on JetBlue is 2.1%. The margins are very slim; in reality, the chances of your flight being delayed on both carriers are about the same. Just like with Frontier, if you’re late for your JetBlue flight, you may still be okay.
Is Spirit a Better Low-Cost Carrier?
If there had been a way to bet on this survey before it came out, many people would’ve probably picked Spirit as the airline with the most delays. Spirit has become the undisputed king of airline memes due to its perceived poor service and added costs. The likelihood of your flight being delayed on this airline is around 28%. Canceled flights on Spirit also dropped to 1.7%. For all the hate, statistically speaking, it’s a more efficient airline than the first two on the list.
Which Airline Is Always on Time?
The aforementioned study also revealed which airline was always on time. That award went to Delta Air Lines last year. Over 82% of the domestic flights catered by the airline left their respective gates on time. That means the likelihood of a Frontier flight being delayed is almost double what you can expect if you fly Delta.
The Airline You Want to Choose if You Can’t Afford to Have the Flight Canceled
Alaska Airlines has been going through some struggles as of late, with in-flight incidents damaging its reputation. Perhaps one of the reasons why the airline encounters these problems is because they outright refuse to cancel flights. Out of all US airlines, Alaska boasts the lowest cancelation rate. Less than 1% of their scheduled flights were canceled last year. However, with the aforementioned incidents taking place in 2024, they may lose the top spot on the list for next year.
