Which Airline Is the Most Reliable?
Southwest had the most consistent operations in 2025, having the fewest cancellations and mishandled bags.
Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.
Updated · 4 min read
Written by
Contributing Writer 
Edited by
Managing Editor 
Between weather- and software-caused operational meltdowns, U.S. airlines have struggled to deliver on reliability over the past few years.
To see which airlines kept flight disruptions to a minimum, NerdWallet dug into data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics to analyze airlines’ on-time percentage and rates of cancellations and mishandled baggage from July 2024 to June 2025.
The study was completed for the top six airlines by domestic market share, using the most recent data available at the time of writing. Each airline received ratings on a five-point scale per category. We then used a weighted average of the category results to determine the overall winner.
Airline reliability
Based on our analysis, Southwest Airlines is the most reliable carrier, having the fewest cancellations and mishandled bags of any domestic airline, and ranking a close second to Delta Air Lines in on-time arrivals.
Win Private Travel Rewards Consultation ($250 value)
Get the ‘cheat codes’ to using travel points and miles so you can spend less cash. 📥 Sign up for our free newsletter before Jan. 30 and enter to win a 1:1 travel rewards coaching strategy session.
Delta came in second due to its strong on-time percentage. Alaska Airlines took bronze because of its low cancellation rate.
American Airlines lands in last place with the highest percentage of cancellations and mishandled bags, and the second-lowest on-time percentage.
| Airline | Reliability |
|---|---|
| Southwest | 4.9. |
| Delta | 4.1. |
| Alaska | 3.8. |
| JetBlue | 2.8. |
| United | 2.8. |
| American | 1.2. |
For this analysis, we analyzed the largest U.S. airlines by marketing carrier. That means American Airlines data includes both mainline flights and American Eagle flights operated by regional carriers such as Envoy Air and PSA Airlines.
We used percentages and rates to avoid penalizing airlines with more extensive operations. For example, Delta Air Lines may have had more cancellations than the smaller JetBlue Airways, but as a percentage of all operated flights, JetBlue had a higher cancellation rate.
On-time percentage
An airline's on-time percentage is perhaps the most crucial statistic for determining its reliability. Unlike mishandled bags, which only impact passengers who checked luggage, an on-time arrival affects every passenger on the plane.
Airlines must report to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics the percentage of their flights that arrived at the destination gate no later than 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. While a 15-minute delay may make tight connections even tighter, the DOT allows a 15-minute grace period when determining whether a flight is “on time.”
On-time percentages, by marketing carrier:
| Airline | On-Time percentage |
|---|---|
| Delta | 80.27%. |
| Southwest | 79.92%. |
| United | 78.84%. |
| Alaska | 78.10%. |
| American | 75.31%. |
| JetBlue | 74.27%. |
Based on BTS data, only one airline topped an 80% on-time percentage from July 2024 to June 2025: Delta Air Lines.
Southwest, United and Alaska round out the top four with just under 80% on-time percentage.
JetBlue was the worst performer, with just under 75% of flights arriving on time between July 2024 and June 2025.
Flight cancellations
While delayed flights cause stress, a canceled flight can wreak even more havoc on travel plans. At best, you'll be delayed a couple of hours. However, a flight cancellation on a less-frequent route could mean a multi-day delay, buying overpriced airport food and even finding last-minute overnight lodging.
BTS data shows that Southwest had the fewest cancellations at 0.82%, closely followed by Alaska at 0.89%.
The worst performer was by far American, which had a 2% cancellation rate. To put that in a different perspective, American canceled one in 50 scheduled flights during this period compared to approximately one out of every 123 scheduled flights for Southwest and Alaska.
Cancellation rates, by marketing carrier:
| Airline | Cancellation percentage |
|---|---|
| Southwest | 0.82%. |
| Alaska | 0.89%. |
| JetBlue | 1.34%. |
| United | 1.34%. |
| Delta | 1.37%. |
| American | 2.00%. |
Note that DOT flight cancellation data only includes flights canceled seven days or fewer before departure. That means this metric doesn't penalize airlines that reschedule or cancel flights more than a week before departure, which has become increasingly common.
Mishandled luggage
Do you check or carry on your bags? If you only pack a carry-on, you might not mind how often airlines lose travelers' bags.
However, how well an airline handles checked baggage is an important factor for those who want to travel with full-size toiletries, traveling on longer trips or who just don't want to lug their luggage through the airport.
Southwest comes out on top yet again. From July 2024 to June 2025, Southwest mishandled just 0.4% of checked bags, according to BTS data. Delta and JetBlue performed almost as well, with mishandling rates of 0.46% and 0.47%, respectively. American had the most mishandled bags at 0.71%.
Mishandled luggage rate, by marketing carrier:
| Airline | Mishandled luggage rate |
|---|---|
| Southwest | 0.40%. |
| Delta | 0.46%. |
| JetBlue | 0.47%. |
| Alaska | 0.54%. |
| United | 0.69%. |
| American | 0.71%. |
For yet another year, American Airlines was the worst-performing U.S. airline when it came to mishandling checked bags. However, it's worth noting that American Airlines improved year over year, with a 0.71% mishandled luggage rate this year vs. 0.77% in last year's analysis.
Methodology
For this analysis, we looked at the operations data for the largest domestic airlines from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics that captured carrier performance from July 2024 to June 2025.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary,
trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed
studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with
industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness
and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high
standards for journalism by reading our
editorial guidelines.
NerdWallet's 2026 Best All-Purpose Travel Rewards Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card 
Travel
Hotel
WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT: For a modest fee, you’ll earn rich rewards in many categories, plus access to multiple transfer partners, an annual hotel credit, anniversary points and a big sign-up bonus worth at least $750 toward travel. 🤩
