In July, Alaska Airlines emerged as the most punctual carrier in North America, despite a challenging month marked by widespread flight delays due to the CrowdStrike IT outage. The Seattle-based airline achieved an on-time performance rate of 77.51 percent, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. This figure represents a slight decrease from the 77.79 percent on-time rate recorded in June.
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines’ Performance
United Airlines secured the second spot in North America with an on-time rate of 73.12 percent, down from 77.44 percent in June. Delta Air Lines, which led the on-time rankings in June with an impressive rate exceeding 80 percent, fell to third place in July with a 72.36 percent on-time performance. Delta’s performance decline was attributed to the CrowdStrike IT outage, which led to nearly 6,500 flight cancellations. In response, Delta has pledged to reimburse affected travelers for alternate flight bookings and additional expenses such as rental cars and hotel stays.
Overall Impact on North American Airlines
North America experienced the highest number of flight cancellations globally in July, with a 98 percent increase in disruptions compared to the previous month. The total number of canceled flights across the continent reached 23,393, a significant rise from the 11,806 cancellations in June. “The CrowdStrike IT outage caused severe disruption for major airlines in the United States,” noted Cirium in its report. “The outage had varied impacts across the region but undoubtedly led to declines in on-time performance scores for most airlines and airports in the area, affecting the leaderboard for July.”
Other Top U.S. Airlines
JetBlue ranked fourth in North America with an on-time percentage of 69.57, while Southwest Airlines followed closely in fifth place with a 69.54 percent on-time rate.
Global On-Time Performance Rankings
On the global stage, Saudi Arabian airline Saudia led with an impressive 88.15 percent on-time rate, maintaining its top position from June. Brazilian carrier Azul achieved the second spot with an 85.2 percent on-time rate, and Chilean airline LATAM Airlines came in third with an on-time performance of 84.65 percent. No U.S. airlines made it into the top 10 worldwide list for on-time performance.
Conclusion
Alaska Airlines stood out as North America’s most punctual airline in July, despite industry-wide disruptions. The global rankings saw Saudia leading the on-time performance list, with U.S. carriers unable to break into the top 10 worldwide. The July disruptions highlight the ongoing challenges faced by the aviation industry in maintaining timely operations.