2 Canadian Airlines Rank The Worst For Delays & You Might Be Better Off With These Carriers

Two Canadian airlines were found to have the worst on-time performance among North American carriers, according to a new report, although travellers may not be surprised.

An on-time performance report released last week by analytics company Cirium looked at which airlines in several regions around the globe are delivering on their promise to get passengers to their destinations on time.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the only two Canadian airlines listed in the report had pretty low stats for their on-time arrivals.

Out of 10 North American airlines, Air Canada and WestJet were found to be the worst for delays, with WestJet seeing only 63.23% of its flights arrive on time, while Air Canada fared even worse at 56.71%.

In fact, out of all the airlines mentioned — covering several different regions and categories, including Europe, Latin America, and low-cost airlines — Air Canada and WestJet had the lowest on-time arrival percentage.

This is not new for the airlines, either. While the report looked at the airlines' stats for February 2023, the two fared about the same way in January and were also ranked the worst for punctuality in 2022.

On the other end of the spectrum, some airlines were ranked as being the best for arriving on time, so you may want to explore your options when booking a trip.

Globally, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was found to be the most on-time carrier, with 89.66% of its flights arriving as scheduled. Following it was Spanish airline Iberia (89.57%) and Colombian airline Avianca (87.89%).

In North America, U.S. carrier Delta Airlines was found to be the most punctual, with 84.82% of flights arriving on time, followed by Southwest (82.43%) and American Airlines (81.63%). So, when possible, you may want to opt to fly with one of these carriers instead.

If you do end up on a delayed flight in Canada, it's important to know your rights as a traveller.

According to the Canadian Transportation Agency, when an airline delays or cancels a flight, what passengers may be entitled to depends on the level of control the airline has over the reason for the delay or cancellation.

Flight compensation varies according to the scenario, but in some cases, travellers can get $1,000 as compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.