Your Best Bet for Avoiding Flight Delays in 2014
The Worst
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle is the worst-performing airline with only 73.6 percent of flights arriving on time in 2013. It’s also inconsistent. At the end of 2012 the airline was at about 80 percent, but in April through June of the next year it dropped to about 66 percent. It faced chronic delays in June through August on its flights between JFK and Columbus, Ohio.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines had only 73.6 percent of flights arriving on time last year. It was chronically delayed in July through August from Denver to Los Angeles and from San Francisco to Denver. It did, however, keep flight cancellations low in October, keeping up with Hawaiian with only 4 flights canceled.
Southwest Airlines
Though Southwest Airlines did outperform others slightly, it ranked worst in regularly scheduled flights. It was delayed 70 percent of the time or more for all three months of the newest data (August through October). In August and September the airline was chronically delayed trying to get to San Francisco from Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Orange County.
ExpressJet Airlines
ExpressJet comes in fourth with 73.8 percent on-time arrivals. In August through October it was consistently one of the worst airlines in regularly scheduled flights that were canceled. It also had trouble with chronically delayed flights both to and from LaGuardia in New York City and Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina.
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is fifth with a record of 74.8 percent on-time arrivals. It did, however, have low cancellations for the three months and stayed relatively consistent with its delays throughout the year, so JetBlue would be the best bet out of the anxiety-inducing list.
For more information on flight delays, check out:
- The Best Airport Hotels to Book if You’re Stuck in the Storm
- Avoiding Delays from Flight Connections
- 5 Tips for Rescheduling Flights During Delays
- Fly Smart & Avoid Delays
By Cody Brooks for PeterGreenberg.com