As of late May 2022, an average of 2.2 million people were clearing security in American airports every day. That figure is eight times higher than the number of passengers during the same time in 2020. Airport traffic isn’t quite at the pre-pandemic level of 2.5 million flyers in 2019.

After two years of fewer flights, 1.6 million commercial flights were scheduled in the first quarter of 2022, about 9% lower than the same period in 2019. And as the number of flights increased, airlines were on schedule less often.

Through the first three months of 2022, nearly a quarter of flights did not arrive on time. That’s the tardiest first quarter for commercial air travel since 2014. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics defines a flight as on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of the originally scheduled time.

What airlines are the best for on-time performance?

Every commercial airline in the US had fewer flights in the first quarter of 2022 compared with 2019. Three airlines — American, Alaska, and United — had higher shares of on-time flights in 2022 than in 2019.

Which airports have the least flight delays?

Among the thirty busiest airports in the US, Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) ranked top for the least amount of flight delays in 2022.

  1. Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) - 85.0% of flights arrived within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival
  2. San Francisco, CA (SFO) - 83.7%
  3. Honolulu, HI (HNL) - 83.3%
  4. Atlanta, GA (ATL) - 83.0%
  5. San Diego, CA (SAN) -82.7%

Which airports have the most flight delays?

Orlando, FL (MCO) is the bottom airport for on-time arrivals in 2022, among the nation's thirty busiest.

  1. Orlando, FL (MCO) - 69.0%
  2. Newark, NJ (EWR) - 69.4%
  3. Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) - 70.6%
  4. New York LaGuardia, NY (LGA) - 70.6%
  5. Washington National, DC (DCA) - 71.4%

Explore on-time rates at more than 300 US airports

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Page sources and methodology

All of the data on the page was sourced directly from government agencies. The analysis and final review was performed by USAFacts.

  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics

    Airline On-Time Performance Data

    Bureau of Transportation Statistics logo