Ultra-low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines have announced their intention to merge, creating the fifth largest US airline
Ultra-low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines have announced their intention to merge, creating the fifth largest US airline

When considering which airline to select and which airport to fly from, punctuality is critical.

The Official Aviation Guide (OAG) and the Wall Street Journal released rankings of the best airports and airlines based on punctuality, delays, and on-time arrivals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the air travel industry, with billions in loans necessary to keep airlines in business.

"Most airlines have had to cut their networks, reduce their fleets and furlough staff; many of those same airlines have restarted their networks and then had to stop and start their recoveries as new variants of Covid frustrated everyone," the OAG said.

While a long recovery awaits the airline industry, some carriers have managed through the tough times better than others.

When solely considering on-time arrivals and the lowest number of delays, the Journal ranked Alaska as the best bet. OAG considers Hawaiian Airlines to be the most punctual airline and Charlotte Douglas International to be the most punctual airport.

Here are the top 10 most-punctual U.S. airlines, according to OAG.

1) Hawaiian Airlines

2) Delta Air Lines

3) American Airlines

4) United Airlines

5) Alaska Airlines

6) Southwest Airlines

7) Frontier Airlines

8) Spirit Airlines

9) Allegiant Air

10) JetBlue Airways Corporation

Globally, Hawaiian ranked No. 9 in most punctual airlines, followed by Delta at 15, American at 25, and United at 30.

Here are the top 10 most punctual U.S. airports, according to OAG.

1) Charlotte Douglas International

2) Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County

3) Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International

4) Myrtle Beach International

5) Raleigh-Durham International

6) Lihue Airport

7) Philadelphia International

8) Norfolk International

9) Minneapolis-Saint Paul International

10) Pittsburgh International

Globally, Charlotte ranks 34th on the most punctual airports list.

US airlines are nervous about the rollout of new 5G telecommunications technology beginning on January 19, 2022, warning that the service should be limited close to major airports

US airlines are nervous about the rollout of new 5G telecommunications technology beginning on January 19, 2022, warning that the service should be limited close to major airports Photo: AFP / Yuki IWAMURA

Meanwhile, the Journal also released a list of the top airlines in the U.S. based on-time arrivals, canceled flights, extreme delays, two-hour tarmac delays, mishandled baggage, involuntary bumping, and complaints.

Hawaiian did not make list, which relied on data from the Department of Transportation and aviation software firm masFlight.

Overall, Delta ranked first when considering all categories, followed by Alaska, Southwest, United, Allegiant, American, Frontier, Spiring, and finally JetBlue.

For on-time arrivals, Delta and Alaska kept their first and second place ranks respectively, followed by American, United, Spirit, Frontier, Southwest, JetBlue, and Allegiant in last place.

Delta and Alaska also maintained their rankings in the extreme delays category, followed by American, United, Southwest, Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant and JetBlue.

In the category of two-hour tarmac delays, Southwest ranked first, and Alaska kept its second-place ranking with Delta coming in third, followed by Allegiant, Spirit, Frontier, United, American, and JetBlue.