With Thanksgiving air travel running relatively smoothly, U.S. airlines and airports are set to deliver stress-free holiday air travel into the new year. That is, if the weather cooperates. The U.S. airline industry has largely recovered from the messy summer, which saw significant flight disruptions due to weather.
Airlines and airports were still adapting to COVID-19 recovery and ramping-up operations while facing staff shortages and stretched aviation infrastructure.
In June, North America had the worst global on-time performance, with an average airline on-time performance of 50.8%.
In a news conference ahead of Thanksgiving, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced plans to address the infrastructural challenges ahead of the holidays. The government will hire more air traffic controllers, open new air routes along the East Coast, allow commercial airlines priority over private jets on departure during periods of weather disruption and congestion, and grant airports funding for snowplows and deicing equipment.
āMother Nature, of course, is the X factor in all of this,ā Buttigieg said.
Holidays Off To A Record Start
The TSA reported screening over 2.9 million travelers at U.S. airports on November 26, setting an agency record for āthe busiest day ever for air travel.ā
Despite the volume, airlines and airports performed better this Thanksgiving than last year. Aviation data analytics firm OAG found a 1% improvement in airline and airport punctuality on Wednesday, November 22. An average of 85.7% of domestic flights departed on time for Thanksgiving, and 18,400 flights arrived on schedule.
Top On-Time Airlines For Thanksgiving Air Travel
Delta Air Lines and United Airlinesā domestic flights were over 90% on time on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The carriers took the top two slots in performance this year and last, though they swapped places. Unitedās performance declined compared to the previous year, going from 92.2% to 90.5%. Delta Air Lines improved from 90.5% of flights running on time in 2022 to 91.5% on time in 2023.
Alaska Airlines took third place with 89.4% on-time performance, an improvement over last yearās 86.7%. Cape Air had the worst on-time performance for the day among U.S. carriers, with only 33% of flights departing on time. It is a significant decline from the airlineās 69.5% on-time performance in 2022, but most of Cape Airās delays this year were weather-related.
Airport Performance Is Best In The West
OAG also reports performance at West Coast airports was notably better than other parts of the U.S. on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Denver Airport topped the list with a 94.7% on-time performance rate. Phoenix came in second with 93.9% on-time performance, and Los Angeles ranked third with 93.0%.
On the East Coast, Charlotte (72.6% on time) and La Guardia (80.2%) airports experienced a decline in their on-time performance, partly due to weather.
Overall, On-Time Performance Is Improving In North America
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was not a one-off. North American airlines and airports have improved and steadily recovered from a dismal summer. OAG data for October shows the average on-time performance of airlines and airports in North America was better than any other world region, averaging 82.6% for airlines and 82.9% for airports.
Following the June low, airlines improved to 60.7% on-time in July, 75.2% in August and 79.1% in September.
Delta Air Lines was the most punctual of the larger North American airlines, with an on-time performance of 90.3% in October. United Airlines came in second with 85.8%.
Those flying through Greenville airport in North Carolina experienced the overall best on-time performance at 96.6% in October. Salt Lake City was the best-performing large airport in North America, with an on-time performance of 88.9%.
Adapting Capacity to Meet Winter Demand
Despite regional variations, the worldās airlines combined have increased capacity this winter, with 2.2 billion flight seats available. Thatās notable growth over the 1.9 billion seats available last year, reflecting confidence in market recovery post-pandemic.
OAG data shows U.S. carriers have the most capacity globally. American Airlines leads with 109,383,550 scheduled seats. Southwest comes in second with 100,321,020. Delta takes the third spot with 93,369,924 seats on their scheduled flights.
Adjusting For Snowbird Patterns
U.S. airlines expect travelers to flock to warm destinations this winter. They have added the most domestic capacity (661,659 seats) in November on flights to Florida, reaching 11,177,075 seats. Arizona came in second, with 16,555 seats added, reaching 2,888,205. On the other hand, Hawaii saw a 9,815-seat decline in capacity to 2,031,418 seats.
Compared to last month, the two strongest growth markets in terms of capacity in November are flights between Mexico and the U.S. which are up by 13.4% and flights between Puerto Rico and the Mainland U.S., rising by 13.0%.
Where Youāre Most Likely To Find Crowded Airports and Full Flights This Winter
The busiest domestic route in November was Atlanta – Orlando, with 291,464 seats. Las Vegas – Los Angeles rose to second place in October with 285,217 seats. Honolulu – Kahului was the third busiest domestic route with 282,044 seats.
- Southwest Airlines: 19,639,333 seats
- American Airlines: 19,301,702
- Delta Air Lines: 17,319,929
- United Airlines: 14,242,504
- Spirit Airlines: 4,479,855
- Alaska Airlines: 4,304,748
- JetBlue Airways : 3,490,290
- Frontier Airlines Inc.: 3,215,916
- Allegiant Air LLC: 1,538,280
- Hawaiian Airlines: 1,091,544
Source: OAG
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Intāl: 5,050,064 seats
- Dallas Dallas/Fort Worth Intāl: 3,976,855
- Denver International: 3,886,043
- Los Angeles International: 3,636,130
- Chicago OāHare International: 3,383,643
- Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl: 3,027,949
- Orlando International: 2,997,079
- New York JFK International: 2,976,340
- Charlotte: 2,707,303
- Miami: 2,595,799
Source: OAG
- Atlanta – Orlando: 291,464 seats
- Las Vegas – Los Angeles: 285,217
- Honolulu – Kahului: 282,044
- Denver – Phoenix: 278,803
- New York JFK – Los Angeles: 270,082
- Denver-Las Vegas: 269,184
- Los Angeles – San Francisco: 259,298
- Atlanta – Fort Lauderdale: 253,102
- Atlanta – New York La Guardia: 245,719
- Newark – Orlando: 221,002
Source: OAG
A Good Likelihood Of Happy Holiday Travel
The overall improvement in on-time performance is a significant achievement for the industry, especially considering more passengers flew this year than last.
As the holiday season begins, airlines and airports have ramped up to ensure smooth travel. Though weather may shift matters around, U.S. Government actions to improve infrastructure and help airlines and airports work around winterās challenges are promising developments. For its part, OAG predicts travelers have a 90% chance of arriving to their destination on time for the holiday celebrations.