The airport you choose for your holiday travel plans could play a role in whether you experience a flight delay.
Weather, mechanical issues, and high air traffic volume are some of the ways your flight could be impacted during the busy holiday travel period. With a record-setting number of Americans planning to travel for the year-end holidays and the potential for winter storms, your flight could be at risk for a disruption.
As travelers prepare for their winter holiday trips, eSIM service Saily ranked airlines and airports by lowest on-time performance over the last two holiday seasons by averaging the Dec. 2023 and 2024 data for regularly scheduled commercial flights from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Holiday travel puts enormous pressure on airports and airlines, and even small delays can quickly add up,” Saily CEO Vykintas Maknickas said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Knowing which hubs typically run smoothly helps travelers plan better – whether that means choosing a different connection or simply adding a bit of buffer time.”
According to the data, regional airlines often outperform major carriers because they operate on a smaller scale and typically fly shorter routes.
“What we’re seeing in December is that performance varies widely depending on the region and the carrier,” Maknickas added. “Weather plays a bigger role than it did in November, and even reliable operators experience more disruptions. For many travelers, the key is staying flexible and keeping an eye on real-time updates as conditions change.”
Here are the airlines with the best and worst on-time performance during the holidays.

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