Top 5: The most punctual airlines in the world are named

The Quality of Service Index (QSI) is used by airlines to objectively measure the overall quality of service.

On-time performance (OTP) is a crucial factor in determining an airline's QSI and gaining passenger loyalty. Delta Air Lines demonstrated the highest on-time performance in October, but heavy traffic during the holiday season may affect its punctuality, Simple Flying writes.

Delta Air Lines (DL)

According to Cirium, Delta was successful in meeting its schedule, completing 99.85% of its flights. It is noteworthy that 82.68% of flights were completed within the block time, and as for Qatar Airways, the number of Delta flights that landed on time actually exceeds the number of those that took off on time, meaning that the airline's pilots were able to make up for a small delay in departure.

Avianca

Avianca, Colombia's main carrier, was the second most punctual carrier in the world in October 2023 with 88.78% of flights arriving on time.

Of the 99.53% of flights operated, 75.20% were completed in block time. Although 88.78% of Avianca flights landed on time, 89.70% actually departed on schedule. It can be argued that it is easier to achieve good results in terms of punctuality if the carrier operates fewer flights, has a smaller fleet, and flies to a more modest network.

Qatar Airways (QR)

With an on-time arrival rate of 87.56% on average, Qatar Airways was the most punctual carrier among the Big Three in the Middle East. Out of 16,588 flights tracked by Cirium, almost all of them were completed. Moreover, 73.75% of them were completed within the block time. Interestingly, while 87.56% of flights landed on time, only 87.13% departed on schedule.

United Airlines (UA)

With 86.31% of flights arriving on time, United Airlines was on the verge of taking the top spot in October.

If you flew with United in October, it's very unlikely that your flight was cancelled, given that the airline's completion rate for October averaged 99.47%. In particular, 76.09% of flights were completed in block time. The actual number of flights that departed on time averaged 87.30%, meaning that less than 1% were delayed after departure.

Aeromexico

Of the 17,036 flights that Cirium tracked for Aeromexico, the airline completed 99.26% of them. In other words, almost all of Aeromexico's flights reached their destination. Passengers not only reached their destinations safely but also did that on time. Or, more precisely, 86.06% of them did not allow friends, family, or chauffeurs to wait too long in the arrival area.