2025 U.S. Airline Performance: What the DOT’s Scorecard Means for Business Travelers

For business travelers and travel managers, time is money — and sanity. Whether road warriors are racing to a client meeting or heading home after a week of globetrotting, the reliability of the airline can make all the difference.

Some newly published data offers insights. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently released the February 2026 Air Travel Consumer Report — its report card for U.S. airlines on metrics like on-time performance, cancelled flights, and mishandled baggage — for the 2025 calendar year. (The release was delayed due to the recent government shutdown that affected the DOT and DHS).

Of course, no single scorecard can determine the best airline for every organization or trip. The DOT data provides a useful benchmark for evaluating carrier performance, but these metrics are just one piece of the puzzle. A few things to keep in mind:

• Reliability varies by category: An airline may perform well with on-time arrivals but rank differently on baggage.
• Network structure matters: Point-to-point carriers may have advantages in baggage handling, while large network airlines may offer broader coverage and more schedule options.
• Route-level data is important: System-wide rankings are useful, but travel decisions should also consider specific routes, hubs, seasonality, and traveler needs.

Ok, onto the numbers.

On-Time Performance

In the world of business travel, a 15-minute delay can be the difference between a successful handshake and an awkward “sorry I’m late” text.

For travel programs, this data may be most useful when viewed alongside route-level performance. A carrier’s system-wide average can provide context, but the reliability of a specific city pair or hub may matter more for frequent business routes.

On-time performance is ranked by the percentage of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule.

• Alaska Airlines: 84.6%
• United Airlines: 81.3%
• Delta Air Lines: 80.8%
• American Airlines: 79.1%
• Southwest Airlines: 78.4%
• Allegiant Air: 75.2%
• Frontier Airlines: 72.1%
• Spirit Airlines: 69.5%
• JetBlue Airways: 68.2%
• Hawaiian Airlines: 67.4%

Flight Cancellations

A delay is a nuisance, but a cancellation is a calendar-killer. For the business traveler, “cancelled” could mean a missed day of work or an unexpected night in an airport hotel.

Cancellations are ranked by “completion factor” — the percentage of scheduled flights that were not cancelled.

• Southwest Airlines: 99.2%
• Alaska Airlines: 98.8%
• Delta Air Lines: 98.5%
• United Airlines: 98.2%
• American Airlines: 97.9%
• Hawaiian Airlines: 97.1%
• Allegiant Air: 96.5%
• Frontier Airlines: 94.8%
• Spirit Airlines: 93.0%
• JetBlue Airways: 92.5%

Mishandled Baggage

Showing up to a boardroom in your airplane clothes is a bold fashion choice, but rarely a planned one.

Keep in mind that large network airlines often manage more complex itineraries, including international connections and partner-airline transfers. These itineraries can create more opportunities for passengers to be “bag-challenged,” especially when connecting across multiple carriers or airports.

Airlines are ranked by mishandled bags per 1,000 bags checked.

• Allegiant Air: 1.52
• Southwest Airlines: 2.10
• Hawaiian Airlines: 2.45
• Delta Air Lines: 3.88
• United Airlines: 4.12
• Alaska Airlines; 4.35
• Spirit Airlines: 4.89
• Frontier Airlines: 5.01
• American Airlines: 6.22
• JetBlue Airways: 6.45

The bottom line: Whether the issue is mechanical or meteorological, travel disruption happens. The key is to work with a travel partner that has your back with fast, reliable support.

See why Navan is that partner. Book a demo today.