How the Largest US Airports Rank for On-Time Flights

When it comes to getting you to your destination on time, some airports simply fare better than others. 

Leading provider of digital flight information, intelligence and analytics, OAG recently released its annual on-time performance (OTP) results for North America, revealing how the continent's largest airports fared when it came to getting passengers to their destinations on schedule in 2023.

Here are the top 10 performing airports in terms of OTP among the 20 largest in North America.

The recently revitalized LaGuardia Airport (LGA) ranks the best among New York City's Big Three airports, edging out both John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and Newark Liberty International (EWR) with an on-time departure rate of 77.59 percent. 

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is now more connected than ever before, fares better than California's San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in terms of on-time departures, posting a mark of 77.97 percent to compared to 75.57 percent for the 15th-ranked SFO.

Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is the top-performing airport in Texas when it comes to getting passengers to their destination on time. IAH turned in an on-time departure rate of 78.28 percent last year, ranking it eighth among the continent's 20 largest airports.

Like IAH, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) also operated more than 392,000 flights last year, with 78.55 percent of them departing on time. PHX is an operating base for both Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines. 

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) was busy in 2023, operating 680,355 flights. Fortunately, nearly eight out of 10 departures took off on time, with ORD turning in an on-time performance of 78.82 percent last year.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the nation's capital operated the fewest flights among North America's 20 largest airports at 294,563. However, 79.63 percent of those flights took off on time in 2023.

American Airlines' North Carolina hub of Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) saw four out of five flights depart on time last year, posting a rate of 80.39 percent on a substantial 485,612 flights.

Of the 20 largest North American airports, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) operated the most flights with 745,534. Of those, 81.86 percent departed on time in 2023. That's certainly an impressive mark for the nation's busiest airport, which recently received some welcome upgrades. 

In the Pacific Northwest, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) ranks second in the nation with an on-time performance of 82.50 percent last year. Including ATL, all three airports in the top three are Delta Air Lines' hubs.

Among the 20 largest North American airports, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International (MSP) is the top performer when it comes to on-time departures at an impressive 82.57 percent. MSP is a hub for Delta Air Lines, which is the best U.S. carrier for on-time performance based on 2023 results.