Most Punctual Airline Is 'Absolutely' a Surprise

The airline anointed the most punctual of 2024 probably isn't one most would have predicted—including the aviation analytics firm that crunched all the numbers. It's AeroMexico, which is "absolutely" a surprise, Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen tells CNBC. The Mexican airline didn't even crack the top 10 last year. The top American airline on the list is Delta, which finished third. But Delta earned the crown of "best global airline for operational excellence" in part because it fares so well with so many flights—it logged more than 1.7 million compared to fewer than 200,000 for AeroMexico. The top 10, and their percentage of on-time flights (within 15 minutes of the scheduled time), via Visual Capitalist:

1. Aeromexico, Mexico, 86.7%
2. Saudia, Saudi Arabia, 86.4%
3. Delta Air Lines, US, 83.5%
4. LATAM Airlines, Chile, 82.9%
5. Qatar Airways, Qatar, 82.8%
6. Azul, Brazil, 82.4%
7. Avianca, Colombia, 81.8%
8. Iberia, Spain, 81.6%
9. SAS, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, 81.4%
10. United Airlines, US, 80.9%

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