If you’ve flown more than a handful of times, you’ve probably had the experience of running through the airport to reach a connecting flight. Even a short delay in a tightly packed schedule can have a domino effect that ends in you missing your best friend’s wedding.
Some airlines run on time more consistently than others, such as these budget airlines with the best on-time records.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed all major airlines with information available on airline data website FlightStats. There are 21 major airlines where less than 20% of flights were delayed by 15 minutes or more in August 2019.
A trend in airlines operating more flights on smaller airplanes, rather than fewer flights on larger airplanes, has led to more congestion in airports, on runways, and in the air. The increased congestion causes more delays for all planes, who must wait their turn to lift off.
Despite the prevalence of flight delays, which are most often caused by the late arrival of a previous flight, the airlines on this list managed to keep their share of delayed flights low, unlike the airlines with the most delays.
21. Oman Air
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 19.6%
> Total flights in August: 6,297
> Average length of delay: 42.6 minutes
> Headquartered in: Oman
20. Emirates
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 19.5%
> Total flights in August: 16,656
> Average length of delay: 39.3 minutes
> Headquartered in: United Arab Emirates
19. SAS
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 18.8%
> Total flights in August: 24,464
> Average length of delay: 34.0 minutes
> Headquartered in: Sweden
18. WestJet
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 18.6%
> Total flights in August: 22,398
> Average length of delay: 48.4 minutes
> Headquartered in: Canada
17. Avianca
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 18.5%
> Total flights in August: 22,181
> Average length of delay: 48.6 minutes
> Headquartered in: Colombia
16. Alaska Airlines
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 18.4%
> Total flights in August: 42,607
> Average length of delay: 47.2 minutes
> Headquartered in: United States
15. Garuda Indonesia
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 18.3%
> Total flights in August: 13,123
> Average length of delay: 37.6 minutes
> Headquartered in: Indonesia
14. Gol
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 18.3%
> Total flights in August: 22,020
> Average length of delay: 34.1 minutes
> Headquartered in: Brazil
13. Iberia
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 17.8%
> Total flights in August: 14,973
> Average length of delay: 41.3 minutes
> Headquartered in: Spain
12. Southwest Airlines
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 17.7%
> Total flights in August: 118,880
> Average length of delay: 51.1 minutes
> Headquartered in: United States
11. Air Arabia
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 17.2%
> Total flights in August: 6,553
> Average length of delay: 32.4 minutes
> Headquartered in: United Arab Emirates
10. SriLankan Airlines
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 17.2%
> Total flights in August: 3,748
> Average length of delay: 37.6 minutes
> Headquartered in: Sri Lanka
9. Delta Air Lines
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 16.6%
> Total flights in August: 180,039
> Average length of delay: 70.7 minutes
> Headquartered in: United States
8. Aerolineas Argentinas
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 15.3%
> Total flights in August: 10,674
> Average length of delay: 41.2 minutes
> Headquartered in: Argentina
7. Air New Zealand
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 14.6%
> Total flights in August: 15,785
> Average length of delay: 36.9 minutes
> Headquartered in: New Zealand
6. Azul
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 14.2%
> Total flights in August: 25,200
> Average length of delay: 36.2 minutes
> Headquartered in: Brazil
5. KLM
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 14.1%
> Total flights in August: 23,097
> Average length of delay: 41.3 minutes
> Headquartered in: The Netherlands
4. Singapore Airlines
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 14.0%
> Total flights in August: 7,887
> Average length of delay: 39.7 minutes
> Headquartered in: Singapore
3. Aeroflot
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 10.6%
> Total flights in August: 32,963
> Average length of delay: 50.6 minutes
> Headquartered in: Russia
2. LATAM Airlines
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 10.5%
> Total flights in August: 42,742
> Average length of delay: 42.6 minutes
> Headquartered in: Chile
1. Copa Airlines
> Share of August flights delayed 15+ min.: 6.5%
> Total flights in August: 10,420
> Average length of delay: 58.6 minutes
> Headquartered in: Panama