Is Your Airline Getting Better or Worse Over Time?

Substantially, in some cases. Hawaiian Airlines was the most on-time major US carrier in its first six months of DOT data at 87.3% — over its most recent six months it has fallen to 71.9%, a 15.4-point drop. Spirit Airlines fell 11.1 points and Republic Airways fell 7.2, while Alaska Airlines improved 2.1 points and Frontier improved 2.5, based on 24 months of US DOT data from June 2024 through May 2026.

Key takeaways

• Hawaiian Airlines: 87.3% on-time (Jun–Nov 2024) → 71.9% (Dec 2025–May 2026), a 15.4-point decline
• Spirit Airlines: 76.0% → 64.9%, an 11.1-point decline
• Republic Airways: 85.1% → 77.8%, a 7.2-point decline
• Frontier Airlines improved the most: 70.6% → 73.1%, up 2.5 points
• Alaska Airlines and American Airlines also improved, up 2.1 and 1.9 points respectively

Which airlines have declined the most?

• Hawaiian Airlines: −15.4 points (87.3% → 71.9%)
• Spirit Airlines: −11.1 points (76.0% → 64.9%)
• Republic Airways: −7.2 points (85.1% → 77.8%)
• PSA Airlines: −5.9 points (78.6% → 72.7%)
• JetBlue Airways: −4.6 points (75.7% → 71.1%)
• Allegiant Air: −4.0 points (77.5% → 73.5%)
• SkyWest Airlines: −3.7 points (81.2% → 77.4%)
• Southwest Airlines: −3.1 points (80.3% → 77.3%)
• Delta Air Lines: −1.9 points (82.5% → 80.6%)

Which airlines have improved?

• Frontier Airlines: +2.5 points (70.6% → 73.1%)
• Alaska Airlines: +2.1 points (77.8% → 79.9%)
• American Airlines: +1.9 points (74.1% → 76.0%)
• United Airlines: +0.5 points (80.1% → 80.6%)
• Envoy Air: +0.3 points (80.2% → 80.5%)

Trend is measured by comparing each carrier's flight-weighted on-time rate over its first six months of the data window (June–November 2024) against its most recent six months (December 2025–May 2026), for carriers with at least 5,000 flights in each window.

Why rankings snapshots can be misleading

Ranked by its full 24-month average, Hawaiian Airlines is still the most reliable major US carrier at 84.2% — see our airline on-time rankings. That average blends a very strong early period with a much weaker recent one, so it can overstate how the airline is performing right now. A carrier's full-history average and its current trajectory can tell very different stories — checking both gives a fuller picture than either alone.

How to check any airline's recent trend yourself

Every airline page on FlightRecord shows month-by-month on-time performance across the full 24-month data window, so you can see whether a carrier's reliability is climbing, holding steady, or sliding — not just its all-time average.

That's the airline-by-airline view — for how the national on-time rate itself has moved year over year, see is flying getting more or less reliable over time.

For how individual carriers compare right now, not just their trend, see which US airlines cancel the most flights.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hawaiian Airlines still the most reliable airline?

By full 24-month average, yes, at 84.2% — the highest of any major carrier. But its most recent six months of data show a steep decline to 71.9% on-time, well below several carriers it still outranks on the full average.

How is an airline's on-time trend calculated?

FlightRecord compares each carrier's flight-weighted on-time rate over its first six months of available data against its most recent six months, for carriers with enough flights in both periods to be statistically meaningful.

Should I pick an airline based on its full average or its recent trend?

Both are useful for different questions. The full average reflects long-run reliability; the recent trend reflects current performance. If you're booking a flight soon, the recent trend is the more relevant number to weigh.

All figures are computed from US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics on-time data — see our methodology. Check monthly trends for Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Alaska Airlines, or any carrier on our most reliable airlines ranking.