Keep this airline in mind the next time you take to the skies
New Study: This Is the Most Reliable Airline in the U.S. for 2025
Published on Jan. 13, 2025
There are no two ways about it: No matter where you’re going or why, air travel is stressful. From crowded airports to luggage weight limits, every aspect of flying leaves room for error, which is why it’s so important for airlines to be reliable. Still, some airlines have a better track record than others for staying on schedule. A recent survey put U.S. airlines to the test to find out which could truly be deemed the most reliable, and the results may surprise you.
Keep reading to find out which airline has earned the title of the most reliable in the United States and how several other U.S.-based airlines stacked up against the competition.
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How did the survey determine the most reliable airline?
To determine the most reliable airline in the United States, Anuvu, a third-party company that collects aviation data, focused on two key factors: on-time performance and flight cancellations.
The rate of on-time performance is based on the industry standard for on-time flights, as decided by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The department considers a flight on time if it arrives at its destination within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival. Flight cancellations are the percentage of flights an airline cancels each year.
While Anuvu ranked airlines on each of these two criteria separately, one airline took the top spot in both categories, making it the overall most reliable airline in the United States.
What is the most reliable airline in the U.S.?
The airline that earned the title of most reliable in the United States is newbie budget airline Avelo, which was founded in 2021. Though small, the airline is swiftly growing. Currently, it offers regional flights up and down both coasts, to a handful of inland cities (including Dallas and Salt Lake City) and to Puerto Rico. Avelo also offers routes to select international destinations, including Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
While Avelo has received excellent ratings in Anuvu’s survey, the airline is not without its detractors, as the upstart airline is experiencing growing pains. Over the recent holiday rush, one Reddit user shared a text they received from Avelo, warning customers of three-hour-long TSA lines at Tweed Airport in New Haven, Connecticut. Others chimed in with tales of waiting outside in freezing temps in long lines. Large crowds and high demand for flights can be detrimental to travelers at smaller airports, many of which Avelo calls home.
What’s the full ranking of the most reliable airlines in the U.S.?
While Avelo took the top slot for both the percentage of on-time flights and the lowest flight cancellation rates, Delta Airlines wasn’t far behind on the former, and Southwest trailed closely on the latter. Curious to see how your favorite airlines ranked? Here are the final results for 2024:
On-time percentage
- Avelo Airlines: 83.9%
- Delta Air Lines: 81.9%
- United Airlines: 78.7%
- Alaska Airlines: 77.4%
- Southwest Airlines: 77%
- Allegiant Air: 76.8%
- American Airlines: 75.9%
- Spirit Airlines: 74.3%
- JetBlue Airways: 73.3%
- Sun Country Airlines: 71.3%
- Frontier Airlines: 70%
- Breeze Airways: 69.2%
Flight Cancellation Rate
- Avelo Airlines: 0.48%
- Southwest Airlines: 0.82%
- Delta Air Lines: 1.09%
- Sun Country Airlines: 1.10%
- JetBlue Airways: 1.35%
- American Airlines: 1.37%
- Alaska Airlines: 1.52%
- United Airlines: 1.73%
- Frontier Airlines: 1.78%
- Breeze Airways: 1.81%
- Allegiant Air: 1.84%
- Spirit Airlines: 1.88%
It’s worth noting that even though United Airlines was ranked the best airline of 2024 and JetBlue was ranked the worst, both still avoided the bottom slots on Anuvu’s ranking for reliability.
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Source:
- PR Newswire: “Avelo Enters 2025 as America’s Most Reliable Airline”
