Time is money is an age old saying. Once again in May, Delta delivered the best on-time performance—and they have done that consistently, month after month. By that logic, Delta saves us the most time out of all U.S. airlines and thereby, saves us the most money.
Delta’s On-Time Performance For May
The latest on-time performance ratings are in, and Delta beat the pants off of its competitors in the domestic market. It led Alaska Airlines by almost 3.5 percentage points. At the same time, the other two majors, United and American, had on-time performances of 77.52% and 74.75% respectively. Frontier claimed last place with a dismal 68.25% of flights on time.
Overall, Delta Does A Lot Of Things Right…
Beyond dependability, Delta usually offers consistent service and has committed to improving its fleet. (It once was the oldest of the major carriers.) Delta has committed to the Bombardier Airbus C-Series aircraft which got rave reviews from Point Me Editor Chris. Incidentally, the A220 series is now headed west with a lot of new routes announced.
Delta also has no Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in their fleet. That aircraft has caused a domino effect of cancellations this year following the two crashes involving that aircraft. It was subsequently grounded by the FAA.
And Delta SkyClubs And In-flight Dining Are Solid
Delta’s Seattle SkyClub (Image: Miles Jackson)
Delta also has some impressive Sky Clubs, including its lounges at hubs in JFK, Atlanta and Seattle. It’s not quite at the level of United Polaris or American Flagship lounges — but they’re fantastic for membership-based spaces. We expect to see another impressive Sky Club at LAX in 2021.
I find Delta’s in-flight dining to be solid overall. Maybe it’s not the best, when compared to some of the world’s best airlines, but in my opinion, Delta’s catering is the best among US domestic carriers. On my most recent Delta First Class flight, I had a delicious steak dinner and had no complaints.
I also find that the front line employees at Delta really make a positive difference. Perhaps it’s because they are non-union and work for profit-sharing bonuses.
Delta Operational Stats
During the Memorial Day weekend, Delta flew more than 2.1 million passengers without a single mainline cancellation. That’s some impressive results and what makes savvy travelers remain loyal to the airline.
As a result of this on-time performance and other positive factors, Delta has held on to the No.1 position in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for a remarkable eight consecutive years.
Delta also recorded an on-time mainline performance of 86.7% this year and a load factor of 84.4%. That means its planes are flying at nearly 85% seat capacity. That is an impressive number for investors, while maybe a bit disheartening for passengers.
Of course, flying near capacity means the airline can typically hold firm to higher fares. Perhaps that’s why Warren Buffet (the Oracle of Omaha) made a ‘mistake’ and bought more than 10% of Delta?
8-Year Old Delta Diamond Medallion
That also might explain why an 8-year old went for Diamond Medallion status on Delta, flying a mega mileage run!
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The Upshot
Regardless of the reasons, and I have pointed out a few, Delta leads in on-time performance and that is one of the top criteria for business travelers.
All of these factors bolster my argument choosing Delta as your choice for a US domestic carrier is a great choice. Well, that is if getting there on time is important. That’s my opinion, backed by some facts.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
5 comments
I am a Delta stockholder and “member”. However, given that Frontier airlines was included in the chart, was there a reason Hawaiian Airlines was not included? I believe Hawaiian has about 30% more revenue than Frontier. Hawaiian advertises that they have almost consistently had the most “on-time” record of any “major” airline in the US.
Jim Mayfield –
Great question. The answer comes from FlightsStats that says
“For a carrier to be included for analysis in any given category, two requirements must be met (unless otherwise noted):
1. The carrier must rank in the top 150 worldwide in terms of capacity (Available Seat Miles).
2. Data tracking coverage must exceed 90%, meaning that FlightStats has scheduled and actual gate arrival times on at least 90% of the scheduled flights for most categories. For Latin American and Middle East/ Africa regions a 70% coverage threshold was used.
3. To be considered in the Global Airline category, an airline must operate more than 1,000 flights in 3 or more geographic regions and more than 30,000 flights overall.”
The only reason why Delta’s on time performance is #1 is because they pad their schedule with so much extra time the pilot would literally have to be asleep before takeoff in ordeer to be late. So many times they take off fast only to be delayed on the tarmac. Fool’s gold.
Johb B. –
I hear what you’re saying but in spite of everything American and United can’t get it done regardless of what goals, priorities or tricks they devise.
I’m still sticking to my belief that if you want some predictably, Delta is still your best bet.
[…] on-time stats are mighty impressive and my allegiance to them is simply because they outperform the other US carriers in this category. […]