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- A recent study ranked airlines and airports based on their on-time performance during the past two holiday seasons.
- Republic Airlines and Delta Air Lines were ranked as the most reliable airlines for holiday travel.
- Salt Lake City International Airport had the best on-time performance, while Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport had the worst.
The airport you choose for your holiday travel plans could play a role in whether you experience a flight delay.
Weather, mechanical issues, and high air traffic volume are some of the ways your flight could be impacted during the busy holiday travel period. With a record-setting number of Americans planning to travel for the year-end holidays and the potential for winter storms, your flight could be at risk for a disruption.
As travelers prepare for their winter holiday trips, eSIM service Saily ranked airlines and airports by lowest on-time performance over the last two holiday seasons by averaging the Dec. 2023 and 2024 data for regularly scheduled commercial flights from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Holiday travel puts enormous pressure on airports and airlines, and even small delays can quickly add up,” Saily CEO Vykintas Maknickas said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Knowing which hubs typically run smoothly helps travelers plan better – whether that means choosing a different connection or simply adding a bit of buffer time.”
According to the data, regional airlines often outperform major carriers because they operate on a smaller scale and typically fly shorter routes.
“What we’re seeing in December is that performance varies widely depending on the region and the carrier,” Maknickas added. “Weather plays a bigger role than it did in November, and even reliable operators experience more disruptions. For many travelers, the key is staying flexible and keeping an eye on real-time updates as conditions change.”
Here are the airlines with the best and worst on-time performance during the holidays.
5 most reliable airlines
- Republic Airlines – 86.79% on time
- Delta Air Lines – 85.17% on time
- Endeavor Air – 83.89% on time
- Hawaiian Airlines – 83.50% on time
- United Airlines – 83.46% on time
5 least reliable airlines
- JetBlue Airways – 69.89% on time
- Allegiant Air – 75.79% on time
- Spirit Airlines – 76.21% on time
- Frontier Airlines – 76.22% on time
- PSA Airlines – 76.22% on time
5 most reliable airports
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) – 85.91% on time
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) – 84.08% on time
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – 83.03% on time
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – 82.54% on time
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) – 82.42% on time
5 least reliable airports
- Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) – 69.72% on time
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) – 71.16% on time
- San Diego International Airport (SAN) – 78.49% on time
- Miami International Airport (MIA) – 75.23% on time
- Orlando International Airport (MCO) – 76.22% on time
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