Have a choice between airlines for your next business trip? Choose one of these most on-time airlines for a smooth, seamless journey.
National Travel and Tourism Week is the perfect time to start thinking about your next trip. Maybe you’re headed off to visit a client for business. Maybe you’re planning a family vacation or anticipating enjoying a mix of business and leisure during a bleisure trip. No matter your reason for travel, though, there’s one thing that can quickly derail your travel, and that’s a late flight.
It doesn’t matter if a prior flight is late coming into the airport, pushing your own flight back, or if your flight just faces unrelated delays, such as mechanical or staffing issues. When you’re not up in the air by the time you expect to be, your entire trip can be thrown off. Forget making that meeting you had scheduled for a few hours after landing. Forget making the cruise ship in time for embarkation. And forget having a leisurely evening at your destination before the conference kicks up the next day.
In short, a late flight gets an otherwise great trip off on the wrong footing. To avoid these stressful experiences, the next time you book a flight, choose the best airline possible. These are the most on-time airlines in the world, according to 2024 data from Cirium’s annual on-time arrival aviation report.
The Most On-Time Airlines in the World
1. Aeromexico
Aeromexico took the top spot as the most on-time airline in the world in 2024, with 86.7% on-time arrivals and 87.73% on-time departures. The flag carrier of Mexico, and based out of Mexico City, this airline offers routes that will take you to nearly 100 destinations all over the world.
2. Saudia
In second place, Saudia Airlines is not far behind Aeromexico in terms of being on time, with 86.3% on-time arrivals (though Saudia actually ranked higher than Aeromexico in terms of on-time departures, at 88.8%). As such, you could hardly do a bad job in picking this Jeddah-based airline for your next flight.
3. Delta Air Lines
In the United States, Delta Air Lines took the top spot as one of the most on-time airlines in the world. Delta boasted 83.46% on-time arrivals in 2024. If you travel throughout the United States often, chances are likely that you’ll have an opportunity to travel on Delta, particularly if you’re traveling through Atlanta. Delta is headquartered in the city and counts Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport among its hubs, one of the busiest airports in the entire world.
4. LATAM Airlines
In fourth place, this South American carrier clocked in with 82.89% on-time arrivals in 2024. The largest airline holding company in Latin America, LATAM is headquartered in Chile and travels to more than 150 destinations with a fleet of more than 160 aircraft.
5. Qatar Airways
Rounding out the top five most on-time airlines in the world is another MENA-based airline. Qatar Airways came in nearly neck and neck with LATAM Airlines, with an 82.83% on-time arrivals percentage.
The Best Performing Airports
It’s not just the most on-time airlines in the world that you’ll want to think about the next time you book a flight, though. Some airports offer far more on-time flights than others, and for good reason. An airport’s operations can greatly impact whether or not flights arrive and leave on schedule.
So, while you may not all that often have the choice in what airport you fly into or out of, if you do, you might want to consider one of these most on-time airports in the world.
1. Riyadh King Khalid International Airport
This Middle Eastern airport serves 115 routes and 60 airlines, and it saw 81.79% on-time arrivals in 2024, and 86.65% on-time departures.
2. Lima Jorge Chaves International Airport
While much smaller, this Peruvian airport was not far behind RUH, with 84.57% on-time departures and 78.6% on-time arrivals. The airport only serves 27 airlines, though, and only 71 routes. Still, if you’re traveling into the region, consider flying into Lima.
3. Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport
It seems that if you were to fly with Aeromexico, through Mexico City, you’d have a very, very high chance of never being late. This Mexico City airport ranked third in the world for on-time departures and arrivals.
4. Salt Lake City International Airport
The top-ranking U.S. airport for on-time arrivals and departures? It’s Salt Lake City International Airport, with 83.8% on-time departures and 84.7% on-time arrivals.
What About Asia Pacific?
You likely noticed that there were no Asia Pacific airlines or airports listed in the rankings above. Luckily, if you do most of your business travel in this region, the annual Cirium report does look at regions individually, so you can still know which airlines in Asia Pacific performed the best in terms of being on time.
The report found that the five most on-time airlines in the Asia Pacific were JAL, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Thai AirAsia. JAL recorded 80.9% on-time arrivals and 82.83% on-time departures in 2024. On the other side of the spectrum, Thai AirAsia recorded 77.46% on-time arrivals and 77.44% on-time departures in 2024.
While the report does not break down best-performing airports into regions, it does rank international airports far past the top four detailed above. The best-performing large airport in Asia Pacific was Tokyo Haneda International Airport, which ranked 18 overall internationally.
Need More Travel Tips, Tricks and Info Before Your Next Business Trip?
Check out the JTB Business Travel blog for more on all things business travel, from tips on everything from what to do when you’re stranded at the airport (maybe you didn’t choose one of the world’s most on-time airlines…) to how to pack light with only a carry-on for your next conference.
