North America’s Most On-Time Airlines Revealed: Southwest Takes the Crown

Aeromexico has continued its outstanding operational performance into 2025, having been named one of the world’s most on-time airlines in February by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Photo: Aeromexico, Boeing 737 MAX 9. Courtesy of Boeing

The Mexican flag carrier was previously crowned the world’s most punctual airline in 2024, with 87.6 percent of its entire flight schedule last year arriving on time. But last month, it performed even better, operating 92.87 percent of its 14,701 flights on schedule— a better on-time performance than any other global airline (those in the top 10 percent by capacity worldwide and serving at least three regions).

Global Rankings

In second place was Spanish flag carrier Iberia, which had a slightly lower— but still impressive—on-time performance of 91.25 percent last month. In third place was Qatar Airways, with 87.24 percent of its flights arriving on time, followed by British Airways in fourth place and Lufthansa in fifth.

Photo: Qatar Airways, Airbus A380. Courtesy of Jan Rosolino / Unsplash.

British Airways and Lufthansa made the top ten for the first time in an extended period, with both European airlines drastically improving their on-time performance over the last couple of months. 

The UK flag carrier operated 86.89 percent of its flights on time in February, compared to just 70.12 percent in December, while German airline Lufthansa climbed from an on-time performance of 71.26 percent in December to 86.66 percent in February.

Top Ten Most On-Time Global Airlines

These were the ten most on-time global airlines in February 2025, according to Cirium:  

North American Airline Punctuality

In North America, Southwest Airlines was revealed as the most punctual airline last month, operating 82.27 percent of its more than 102,000 flights on time. Southwest was closely followed by fellow low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines in second place, which operated 81.77 percent of its flights on time in February.

Photo: Phoenix, Arizona. Courtesy of Southwest Airlines / Stephen M. Keller

The so-called ‘Big Three’ airlines – Delta, United, and American – came in third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.

Top Ten Most On-Time North American Airlines

These were the ten most on-time North American airlines in February 2025, according to Cirium:  

European Airline Highlights

In Europe, Iberia was the most on-time airline last month, somewhat unsurprisingly, considering it was the second-most punctual overall.

Photo: Courtesy of Iberia

Iberia was followed by Lufthansa Group member Austrian Airlines in second place and Spanish carrier Air Europa in third. Vueling and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) made up the top five.

Asia-Pacific Punctuality Trends

Meanwhile, the most on-time airline in the Asia-Pacific region last month was Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific, followed by Hainan Airlines and Virgin Australia.

Photo: Airbus A350-1000. Courtesy of Cathay Pacific

Surprisingly, no Japanese carrier made the top ten, despite Japan being renowned for its punctuality and Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) taking the top two spots for punctuality in the region in 2024.

Latin American and Middle East-Africa Rankings

The most on-time Latin American airline in February was, of course, Aeromexico, followed by Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines in second place and Brazilian low-cost carrier Gol in third place.

Photo: Courtesy of Enrique Perrella

Meanwhile, Safair was the most punctual airline in the Middle East-Africa region, with Royal Jordanian and Qatar Airways in second and third place, respectively.

Airport Punctuality Analysis

As well as airlines, Cirium also analyzed flight data to rank airports across the world for their punctuality.

The most on-time large airport (those offering more than 25 million seats per year) in February was Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH), with 82.27 percent of its 18,634 flights last month departing on time.

Doha Hamad International Airport showcases Lamp/Bear
by artist Urs Fischer in its central terminal / Photo: Courtesy of Amer Sweidan/Qatar Airways

In second place was Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX)—home to Aeromexico—with an on-time departure rate of 81.77 percent, while Spain’s Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) was third with an on-time departure rate of 80.55 percent.

Notable Rankings of U.S. Airports

Meanwhile, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH)—which was the world’s most on-time airport in 2024—was the fourth most punctual in February, while Honolulu Airport (HNL) in seventh place was the only U.S. airport to make the top ten.

Photo: Terminal TBIT. Courtesy of Los Angeles International Airport / Joshua Sudock

There were, however, five U.S. airports in the top 20, with Los Angeles International (LAX), Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) coming in 16th, 18th, 19th, and 20th place, respectively.

Top Ten Most On-Time Large Airports

These were the ten most on-time large airports in February 2025, according to Cirium: