North American Airlines Have the Worst On-Time Arrival Record

A new report says the country’s two biggest airlines ranked last for on-time performance among large North American carriers last month.

Aviation data company Cirium says nearly 28 percent of Air Canada flights, or more than 8,700, landed late in October, placing the company ninth out of 10 airlines on the continent.

The report found WestJet came last with nearly 29 percent of arrivals touching down late—defined as more than 15 minutes after scheduled arrival.

The two airlines’ on-time percentage of just over 70 percent falls far short of the North American average of 80 percent—itself the lowest of any region globally—while Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines all notched north of 85 percent.

Nonetheless, Air Canada’s outcome marks an improvement from its tally of 68 percent the previous month.

In the past, Air Canada has pointed to a shortage of air traffic controllers, bad weather and a network running at full tilt amid high demand, which can mean longer recovery times after a disruption.

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