The airlines most likely to delay holiday flights, according to a new study

Travelers flying to destinations in the US this holiday season should watch out for potential delays from several airlines.

All data for these findings were calculated by the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection for its October 2024 Air Travel Consumer Report. 

The report is designed to help consumers with information on the quality of services provided by the airlines, according to the US Department of TransportatiON (DOT). 

The flight delays factored into the final tabulations were from major airlines in August 2024.

So, when it comes to airlines that may not be the most dependable, here are 10 that will likely have delays this holiday season out of US airports, according to the data. 

10. United Airlines 

The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection concluded United Airlines will likely have 74.9 percent of its flights arrive on time.

The percentage was created based on 119 of 342 US airports that sent reports to the Office of Aviation and Consumer Protection.

This number is higher than the rest on the list, but it is less than the on-time flight percentage issued by the government agency in its August 2024 Air Travel Consumer Report.

9. Republic Airways

The chance of a flight delay through Republic Airways this holiday season is 74 percent, and reports from 78 airports played a part in the final number.

It's not the worst percentage on the list - but it is lower than its on-time flight results from the August 2024 and May 2024 Air Travel Consumer Reports.

8. Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines has been highly publicized for its aircraft troubles over the past year.

Its percentage of on-time flights was concluded to be 73.8 percent based on reports submitted by 89 US airports.

This number was hardly different from the 73.9 on-time flight percentage concluded in the August report.

Unfortunately, both of these numbers were still a decrease from what used to be 77.4 percent of on-time arrival flights.

7. Endeavor Air

Endeavor Air is a subsidiary of Delta Airlines, and if the government agency's calculations are correct, 73.5 percent of flights will be on time this holiday season.

This year's ranking was calculated from reports made by 90 airports in the US.

Unfortunately it's more than four percent lower than the commonality of on-time flights from the report issued in August 2024.

Both of these percentages were big decreases compared to the percentage of on-time flights from the May 2024 report, which was 87.7 percent. 

6. Allegiant Air

Allegiant Air's recent on-time flight percentage came out to 73.2 percent based on reports made by 122 airports.

This was a decrease compared to the results of the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection on-time flight percentage from its May report, which was 75.8 percent.

5. PSA Airlines

PSA Airlines is a regional airline operating on behalf of American Airlines, and it sports 'American Eagle' on its aircrafts.

Its flights also have a 72.5 percent chance of arriving on time based on reports submitted by 90 US airports.

Although the number may not sound bad, it's much lower than the 80.6 percent of on-time arrivals it held earlier this year. 

4. Spirit Airlines

Just 59 US airports sent reports to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection - the least amount of locations on this list.

This year's chance of a Spirit Airlines flight leaving on time is 67.1 percent.

The new percentage is much worse than what it was based on flight leaving on time in June 2024, which was 70.7 percent. 

3. American Airlines

American Airlines likely only has 66.7 percent of flights being on time this holiday season, based on 124 reports from US airports.

Not only is it the highest US airport number on this list, but it's also amongst the top five highest report amount in the entire study.

2. Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines has had a history of frequent delays, and this year, only around 65.2 percent of flights are expected to arrive on time.

This year, 80 airports sent in reports about Frontier Airlines and the number of flights delayed from August 2024.

Frontier has also been in trouble for a number of things besides delays, and the airline was even named the US Airline with the most complaints, according to a 2023 study conducted by PIRG. 

Not only that, Frontier topped the list of the flight delays during the holiday seasons in an analysis conducted by the Bureau of Transportation statistics from Upgraded Points travel company last year.

1. JetBlue Airways

Sadly, for JetBlue Airways, the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection concluded only 60.75 percent of its flights may arrive on time this holiday season.

The number was calculated based on reports submitted by 66 airports nationwide. 

The airline has had a habit of being known for these issues and even came in second place for the highest percentage of canceled flights based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) data in 2023 by NerdWallet.