Two Canadian airlines among North America's top 10 for on-time arrivals
Travelling is stressful enough without worrying about flight delays, but it looks like WestJet and Air Canada customers have one less thing to worry about.
WestJet and Air Canada ranked among the top 10 best carriers in North America for on-time performance in May, according to a recent monthly report by Cirium. This comes despite a 34 per cent increase in cancellation rates across North America. The U.K.-based aviation analytics company tracks airline and airport performance and publishes monthly and annual rankings.
A. Michael Brown/Shutterstock
In May, WestJet was the number one airline in North America for on-time performance, with nearly 86 per cent of almost 18,000 flights arriving on time. The Calgary-based airline’s ranking improved significantly after coming in third in April with a score of nearly 83 per cent.
Air Canada retained its seventh place ranking in May with nearly 79 per cent of over 204,000 flights arriving as scheduled.
Cirium
Globally, WestJet ranked seventh for on-time performance — the only Canadian airline in the top 10 — right behind Korean Air, which had an on-time arrival rate of nearly 88 per cent. Saudia Airlines ranked first globally with a 90.12 per cent on-time arrival rate, followed by Qatar Airways at 89.56 per cent.
Cirium
May’s results are certainly impressive, considering no Canadian carriers ranked in the global top 10 in April.
In a statement, WestJet attributed the improvements to “the disciplined execution and strong focus of frontline teams.”
“From our frontline leaders and teams to our partners and supporting functions, this level of performance doesn’t happen by chance: it’s the result of a shared commitment to operational reliability and continuous improvement,” stated Safa Yamach, WestJet’s vice-president of operations planning and performance.
In May, Calgary International Airport ranked ninth globally for “most on-time medium airports.”
Check out the full report online.