Delta Air Lines has long prided itself in operational reliability, even trademarking the term “The On-Time Machine.” However, is that concept now a thing of the past? New alleged data suggests so…
In this post:
Delta reportedly overtakes United with flight cancelations
Previous Delta CEO Richard Anderson probably had the biggest impact in turning Delta into what it became. He said that the single biggest thing an airline can do to win brand loyal customers is to operate reliably.
That doesn’t just happen by chance, and Delta invested a ton of money into making reliability a point of differentiation. For years, Delta actually did perform much better than competitors.
For example, in 2018, the airline had 243 consecutive days without a single mainline flight being canceled. Okay, admittedly the airline took some liberties there (by delaying some flights by many hours, rather than canceling them), but the concept is great — reliability was a priority.
I recently covered how Delta was slower to recover from the Northeast storm than competitors, primarily due to the carrier’s bizarre pilot scheduling software and rules. However, JonNYC shares a much bigger picture development, if you ask me.
He shares the year to date cancelation rates for Delta and United, combining mainline and regionals, with mainline flights weighted more heavily than regional flights. With that, United had a 1.15% cancelation rate, while Delta had a 1.22% cancelation rate.
Looking at month to date data at New York City area airports is particularly rough. Delta canceled 5.08% of seats, while United canceled 1.55% of seats. Furthermore, Delta even canceled a higher percentage of flights than JetBlue (5.08% vs. 4.10%), and losing in operational reliability to JetBlue is not a position you want to be in.
Let me emphasize that I haven’t personally seen this data, but JonNYC is incredibly reliable, so I’m inclined to believe it. Even if we were to quibble on some minor points (like how things are weighted), I think the bigger picture message is clear — United has made up a lot of ground when it comes to operational reliability compared to Delta.
Reliability is no longer a competitive advantage for Delta
Going back a decade, the gap in operational reliability between Delta and United was absolutely massive. The airlines weren’t even in the same league on that front, and Delta’s on-time percentage and completion factor eclipsed that of United.
However, as time has gone on, that gap has narrowed enormously. While I’m looking forward to seeing the full-year Department of Transportation statistics in the near future for the definitive numbers, it’s pretty clear that Delta is no longer meaningfully more reliable than United is.
What has contributed to this trend? For one, United has certainly been trying to catch up with Delta more broadly, and that includes with improving operational reliability, and investing in technology that enables that.
But the other thing is that Delta also isn’t as differentiated as it was going back pre-pandemic. I’d attribute this to a few factors:
- Across the board, Delta lost a lot of talent at the start of the pandemic, and the workforce there is a lot more junior than in the past; I just don’t think the corporate culture at the airline is the same as it was at the time, and that has impacted service and reliability
- Former Delta CEO Richard Anderson was a quiet guy who liked working behind the scenes and creating a great airline, while current Delta CEO Ed Bastian just seems more like a guy who is trying to turn Delta into a lifestyle brand, and is focused on things like keynote addresses at CES, hiring Tom Brady as a consultant, etc.; I’m not saying that’s a terrible idea in terms of optics, but he’s just not as focused as Anderson, in my opinion
- More broadly, air traffic control congestion has become a bigger issue as time has gone on, and that creates factors that are outside a carrier’s control, which can impact reliability
Bottom line
Over the years, Delta’s operational reliability has become less of a point of differentiation, in comparison to competitors. Nonetheless, the airline has still remained in the lead among global US carriers. However, JonNYC suggests that this could be the year where that changes, as Delta reportedly has a higher mainline and regional cancelation rate than United.
While we’ll wait for the final data to see the exact details (since this includes mainline and regional flights), one thing is pretty certain — Delta’s operational reliability isn’t what it once was, both in terms of its own performance, and in terms of competitors catching up. At New York area airports this month, the airline massively lagged United, and even lagged JetBlue. Ouch.
What do you make of these Delta reliability claims?
As a Delta Diamond and an AA EXP, my personal experience in the recent past is that AA is more reliable. This was not the case a few years ago, but it is now.
My DL flights are frequently delayed and DL, after making a big deal about taking care of Diamonds a couple years ago, says nothing.
As I've said before, 82% vs 80% is not a meaningful difference for 99% of fliers who fly a handful of times a year. You'd need to fly approximately 50 flights a year before you'd be expected to see a single additional delay from the 80% carrier.
The vast majority of people should be choosing flights based on price and schedule. The rest is just marketing BS.
If the metrics don’t matter, why are they tracked?
AMERICAN AIRLINES TRADEMARKED THE ON TIME MACHINE. AMERICAN AIRLINES TRADEMARK FLAGSHIP SERVICE FLAGSHIP SUITES. AMERICAN AIRLINES ALSO DEVELOPED THE FLAGSHIP LOUNGE.
A DELTA COPIED EVERYTHING LEGACY AMERICAN WAS!
UNFORTUNATELY, THE AMERICA WEST TEAM/U S AIR, DID NOT KNOW TO HOW CONTINUE THE SUCCESS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES.AND ALL ITS INITIATIVES
DELTA SIMPLY COPIED EVERYTHING LEGACY AMERICAN AIRLINES!
FORTUNATELY, AMERICAN AIRLINES IS WAKING UP AND RETURNING TO WHAT IT ONCE WAS SLOWLY.BUT SURELY!
AMERICAN AIRLINES TRADEMARKED THE ON TIME MACHINE. AMERICAN AIRLINES TRADEMARK FLAGSHIP SERVICE FLAGSHIP SUITES. AMERICAN AIRLINES ALSO DEVELOPED THE FLAGSHIP LOUNGE.
A DELTA COPIED EVERYTHING LEGACY AMERICAN WAS!
UNFORTUNATELY, THE AMERICA WEST TEAM/U S AIR, DID NOT KNOW TO HOW CONTINUE THE SUCCESS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES.AND ALL ITS INITIATIVES
DELTA SIMPLY COPIED EVERYTHING LEGACY AMERICAN AIRLINES!
FORTUNATELY, AMERICAN AIRLINES IS WAKING UP AND RETURNING TO WHAT IT ONCE WAS SLOWLY.BUT SURELY!
No need to shout, John-boy
When did Delta trademark that phrase? I remember this old (1988) AA commercial using the exact same verbiage.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NiItdXYitZ8&pp=ygUsQW1lcmljYW4gYWlybGluZXMgY29tbWVyY2lhbCBvbiB0aW1lIG1hY2hpbmU%3D
Just saying, again …. TPG website has just announced that for the seventh consecutive year Delta has been voted the best U.S. airline.
Happy New Year to all …..
TPG 'just' announced that on June 19. 2025. Too funny.
https://thepointsguy.com/airline/best-us-airlines-2025/
SMOKE AND MIRRORS!
United's transformation into the premium US airline has really been a thing to behold
Three (including this lone) more clicks for Ben = points = flights = reviews, hopefully not more U.S. low cost carrier reviews though …. :-)
Since facts are few and far between here in the comments, looking at 2023-2024-2025, with DOT BTS data available up through Sept, DL’s overall OTP has been slipping.
On time arrivals:
2023: 82.61%
2024: 81.81%
2025: 79.17% (thru 9/30)
They’re still #2 behind Hawaiian, and it’s not so much that United is improving but that Delta is closing the gap by sliding.
Cancellation rate isn't one-time performance, Ben. Cancellation rate is one element of reliability.
Timmy is just Dunn tonight!
I think that this changes over time. Some times one airline does better than another etc.
Ben, your New Year’s resolution for 2026 should be “This is the year I finally start to offer the ability for readers to mute or hide comments from people that are ridiculous, stupid, or irrelevant. And racist.”
Lots of racism on the blog that goes unmoderated.
Go make that happen; we’ll wait here.
William, things you don't like or agree with do not constitute "RACISM". Now settle down and lay off with the constant irreverence! What inconsequential WHINING!
What are you on about?
Calm down.
Near as I can tell, I’ve yet to see a blatantly racist, reported post removed. It’s really disheartening.
I fly Delta. Based in Boston. In the past couple years it seems like every flight I’m on is delayed or cancelled. JetBlue (masshole airlines) isn’t my vibe. American has a weird presence in Boston (not a hub but not just a dot on the map) so it doesn’t make sense to switch to them. I was hoping United would take over JetBlue so it would make sense to switch.
Why is one individual allowed to totally derail the entire conversation? This bs should not be tolerated!
derail?
After how many days of articles w/ manufactured data did it take someone to answer the question which should have been the standard for all of these discussions about operational reliability - verifiable industry-wide data. The US DOT happens to collect it.
repeating
regarding Ben's question in the title, the US DOT tracks airline on-time - in the DOT's case only for domestic because int'l carriers do not have similar requirements - and they...
derail?
After how many days of articles w/ manufactured data did it take someone to answer the question which should have been the standard for all of these discussions about operational reliability - verifiable industry-wide data. The US DOT happens to collect it.
repeating
regarding Ben's question in the title, the US DOT tracks airline on-time - in the DOT's case only for domestic because int'l carriers do not have similar requirements - and they report it monthly. The latest edition of the DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report was issued earlier this month reflecting operational data through Sept. 2025.
In Sept, which pretty close aligns with year to date data, HA was the #1 airline as they usually are. Flying most to/from Paradise is nice but not what most airlines do for the majority of their flying. AS is working on a single operating certificate which means that HA will not report any longer when SOC is issued, making the current #2 the #1 airline in on-time.
DL is 2 for the month and YTD which is similar to what it has been for a number of years. DL's YTD on-time through Sept. was 79.6%.
WN and NK are tied for 3rd and 4th 1.5% behind DL, AS is not far behind those two, and UA is at 76.8%.
AA, B6 NK and others are below the industry average YTD ontime of 76.5%.
So, according to the most recent DOT data, no, DL has not lost the title of on-time machine and UA has not caught up to DL or even WN
---
I am sorry if you and a bunch of other people that have been running around yelling at the top of your lungs about how bad DL's operation are being served data that says the opposite.
And, as noted above, we can wait for final data for Dec and 2025 as a whole but I am pretty sure alot of people will be disappointed that DL really is still the on-time machine.
You're a moron, Dunce.
you just don't like real facts.
Happy New Year.
Happy New Year!
Gee! I was under the impression that Delta is the world's only PERFECT airline. LOL
Happy New Year.
Great improvement on cancellations but in my experience UA flights are much more prone to delays. Often minor ish (envers 1 hr) but for those of us with tighter schedules this has an impact
The comments continue to be just plain childish and a real freak show.
Please tone it down. You continue to discredit yourselves.
regarding Ben's question in the title, the US DOT tracks airline on-time - in the DOT's case only for domestic because int'l carriers do not have similar requirements - and they report it monthly. The latest edition of the DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report was issued earlier this month reflecting operational data through Sept. 2025.
In Sept, which pretty close aligns with year to date data, HA was the #1 airline as they usually are....
regarding Ben's question in the title, the US DOT tracks airline on-time - in the DOT's case only for domestic because int'l carriers do not have similar requirements - and they report it monthly. The latest edition of the DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report was issued earlier this month reflecting operational data through Sept. 2025.
In Sept, which pretty close aligns with year to date data, HA was the #1 airline as they usually are. Flying most to/from Paradise is nice but not what most airlines do for the majority of their flying. AS is working on a single operating certificate which means that HA will not report any longer when SOC is issued, making the current #2 the #1 airline in on-time.
DL is 2 for the month and YTD which is similar to what it has been for a number of years. DL's YTD on-time through Sept. was 79.6%.
WN and NK are tied for 3rd and 4th 1.5% behind DL, AS is not far behind those two, and UA is at 76.8%.
AA, B6 NK and others are below the industry average YTD ontime of 76.5%.
So, according to the most recent DOT data, no, DL has not lost the title of on-time machine and UA has not caught up to DL or even WN
since gary and ben love to copy each other's stories, we all should be wondering when we can expect an article on OMAAT about water quality on airlines.
Gary posted data from a government agency - the EPA - on their findings regarding airplane water over THREE YEARS.
the findings show:
Delta 5.00 (A)
Frontier 4.80 (A)
Alaska 3.85 (B)
Allegiant 3.65 (B)
Southwest 3.30 (C)
Hawaiian 3.15 (C)
...
since gary and ben love to copy each other's stories, we all should be wondering when we can expect an article on OMAAT about water quality on airlines.
Gary posted data from a government agency - the EPA - on their findings regarding airplane water over THREE YEARS.
the findings show:
Delta 5.00 (A)
Frontier 4.80 (A)
Alaska 3.85 (B)
Allegiant 3.65 (B)
Southwest 3.30 (C)
Hawaiian 3.15 (C)
United 2.70 (C)
Spirit 2.05 (D)
JetBlue 1.80 (D)
American 1.75 (D)
how is that real data like this isn't featured?
Tim, this was not from the EPA. It was 'facts' from a random website that is interpreting EPA data. I'm not saying their wrong or lying, but there's no way to validate them and/or prove that the water is unsafe, etc.
And how is this related to the topic?
And just to add, regardless of the scores, they also state this,
"Here’s the bottom-line advice from the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity. To be extra safe:
NEVER drink any water onboard that isn’t in a sealed bottle.
Do not drink coffee or tea onboard.
Do not wash your hands in the bathroom; use alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol instead."
So the score is essentially irrelevant.
it is actual data and it is sourced from the government.
It is relevant to show that there is data that guides real statements about airline rankings and water quality is one of them.
A private company might have compiled the data but it is government data.
Of course you don't like it since it shows DL at the top of the industry and your favorite as not there - actually quite a bit down...
it is actual data and it is sourced from the government.
It is relevant to show that there is data that guides real statements about airline rankings and water quality is one of them.
A private company might have compiled the data but it is government data.
Of course you don't like it since it shows DL at the top of the industry and your favorite as not there - actually quite a bit down the list.
If you don't like random data thrown into OMAAT articles then insist that standard be held for all articles
“How is that real data like this isn’t featured?”
Baby, you found it because it was featured. That’s not a mystery, that’s cause and effect.
But what’s really fascinating is how fast you bolted the moment the conversation hit Delta’s operational reliability sliding while United’s improves. One second we’re talking on-time performance and completion rates, the next you’re waving around water quality like it wandered in with a clipboard.
That’s not a rebuttal — that’s...
“How is that real data like this isn’t featured?”
Baby, you found it because it was featured. That’s not a mystery, that’s cause and effect.
But what’s really fascinating is how fast you bolted the moment the conversation hit Delta’s operational reliability sliding while United’s improves. One second we’re talking on-time performance and completion rates, the next you’re waving around water quality like it wandered in with a clipboard.
That’s not a rebuttal — that’s a hard pivot when the numbers stop behaving. When Delta’s ops don’t look as polished and United suddenly does, we change the subject and hope no one notices?
Sorry, sweetheart. The data is still there, still featured, still showing the trend — and no amount of random detours is going to reroute around it.
Circle back when you’re ready to talk operations instead of auditioning for Olympic-level deflection.
baby cakes
I was up in the air this morning flying.
Outstanding weather. Great views and the best part is not a whole lot of other people or planes.
Sadly, we all have to come back to earth and deal w/ the riff raff on the ground.
The article IS about operational reliability. I just provided real data and reputable sources.
You've never tested water. One of my jobs in the US Army was water testing, so I was doing it pretty much every day. I've seen false negatives before, and there were certainly some in Delta's results. So go ahead and drink their poor excuse for coffee. I'll be happy to film you having a case of the raging trots.
Tom Deuce, what is the relevance of the so-called "data"?
That data is NOT from the EPA. Post a link with your source.
argue with Gary.
You should know where to find his site.
"There’s a dedicated regulatory regime for this: the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule. And the scorecard looked at EPA data from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2025."
I am having fun today... just another beautiful day in paradise.
the only people that are having strokes are those that thought they could "weight" mainline data to come up w/ a means to put UA on top of DL and didn't realize they were going to get caught w/ their hand in the cookie jar.
Keep fighting back the haters, Timbot.
Sure, Jan. Sure.
Meanwhile you never really repaonded to Lucky and other people’s comments to your comment posted below.
I think the only person having a stroke is the one who wrote ~25 paragraphs in 2 comments trying their absolute damndest to deflect rather than defend.
I think Ben is trying to kill Tim today between this and his other post...
Just based on my experience the past few days I don't think UA is quite there yet. I sat for 10 hours in BHM yesterday for a flight to ORD. They moved the departure time back 5 times during the day, consequently missed my connection and had to stay the night. All of the delays were maintenance related.
I woke up to a text this morning saying my flight out of ORD is now delayed...
Just based on my experience the past few days I don't think UA is quite there yet. I sat for 10 hours in BHM yesterday for a flight to ORD. They moved the departure time back 5 times during the day, consequently missed my connection and had to stay the night. All of the delays were maintenance related.
I woke up to a text this morning saying my flight out of ORD is now delayed three hours. The delays themselves are bad enough, but when UA scheduled the departure for 30 minutes before the inbound arrived, you know they have issues.
I have flown Delta for decades...I can see the difference in the younger flight attendants. I saw one texting on her phone in the middle of boarding. I bet they do not care about on time performance or customer satisfaction.
agree
How do you know if the flight attendant was texting on her personal phone or communicating with the agents on her company phone? The latter is required during boarding.
Ben, it's New Year's resolution time for the blog-- you *know* what it's gotta' be... ;-)
I would NEVER call for the ban of Tim "Tom" "The Deuce" TinyDunce - it's just bad taste!
yes, Jon, the appropriate resolution is for you to fully document your data manipulations and put side by side secondary verification next to it.
perhaps this would be as good of place as any for you to explain your "weighting" for mainline vs. regional and what other reputable data sources do such a thing.
Hopefully an excision. We should all be so lucky.
Delta Air Lines has posted a system-wide on-time performance of 101.4% when factoring in early arrivals that effectively create additional schedule buffer for corporate clients, a capability unique to Delta's proprietary Chrono-Optimization Engine rolled out in Q1 2025. The airline simultaneously achieved a cancellation rate of negative 0.09% through preemptive schedule enhancements that eliminate potential disruptions before passengers book.
No domestic competitor approaches Delta's 99.9997% reliability score across all reported segments, with any residual variance...
Delta Air Lines has posted a system-wide on-time performance of 101.4% when factoring in early arrivals that effectively create additional schedule buffer for corporate clients, a capability unique to Delta's proprietary Chrono-Optimization Engine rolled out in Q1 2025. The airline simultaneously achieved a cancellation rate of negative 0.09% through preemptive schedule enhancements that eliminate potential disruptions before passengers book.
No domestic competitor approaches Delta's 99.9997% reliability score across all reported segments, with any residual variance stemming exclusively from third-party ATC limitations that Delta navigates more effectively via superior slot management and hub connectivity. Customer preference for operational certainty drives a $17.2 billion revenue premium over the nearest rival in the most recent financial reporting, underpinned by traveler surveys awarding Delta 12,400 out of 100 possible points for schedule dependability.
Operational teams deliver benchmark efficiency through voluntary innovation contributions that peers cannot match, while network planning continues to generate industry-leading load factors without compromising execution. The metrics consistently highlight Delta's standing as the most dependable, most premium, and most consistently superior carrier in the U.S. market. No wait, I mean Global market.
Casual reader of OMAAT here.
Tim, I appreciate your push toward non-tweaked data which, btw, many of your critics seem to ignore. These weighted numbers from JonNYC are indeed bogus and deserve no attention at all.
But "12,400 out of 100 possible points" -- huh? And Delta most certainly is not "the most dependable, most premium, and most consistently superior carrier in the...global market."
Statements like these--and introducing unrelated topics like pilot contracts and water...
Casual reader of OMAAT here.
Tim, I appreciate your push toward non-tweaked data which, btw, many of your critics seem to ignore. These weighted numbers from JonNYC are indeed bogus and deserve no attention at all.
But "12,400 out of 100 possible points" -- huh? And Delta most certainly is not "the most dependable, most premium, and most consistently superior carrier in the...global market."
Statements like these--and introducing unrelated topics like pilot contracts and water quality--detract from your otherwise good points.
Kirby is younger, more aggressive, has more energy.
SkyMiles is worsening, while MileagePlus is mostly stable.
Delta planes are too old, and the 757 and 767 planes are a competitive disadvantage.
Notwithstanding recent issues, Newark is marginally improving vs. JFK construction and 90 minute trip to JFK.
Don't hide your bias so much, Mark.
It takes little effort to know that UA's fleet is not just older than DL's but the oldest among US carriers.
UA really hasn't beat DL's claim to be the on-time machine, Mark.
I'm sorry to have to break the bad news to you
Get on a United 767 from EWR-LHR and then get on a Delta 767 from JFK-LHR. Do the same on EWR-LAX & JFK-LAX vs. those ancient 767s. Then realize that Delta is charging significantly more for a significantly worse product in business. If I had a choice I would never choose the Delta product. Tim, I know what the profitability says, I know Delta is making more $. You're right, OK? But let's not pretend Delta is a superior product, it isn't.
I can't believe Delta is getting crushed operationally by JetBlue. Delta is sinking. Look at their 2025 stock price. United's stock has increased 3x of Delta's in 2025. Delta is no longer premium...
If you want to troll Tim, you don’t need to lie. The stocks of UA and DL had ~the same return in 2025 (both up around 15%). Southwest somehow returned 25% this year. The more fun trolls are about how useless Delta miles are vs. Alaska and American, how bad their app is vs. United, how their IFE is only in-line with JetBlue, etc. IDK, there’s a part of me that now thinks Tim is employed by United to make us hate Delta.
Your AI is wrong!!!
Even more surprising that UA outperformed DL in the year with all the EWR FAA and construction issues earlier this year.
Speaking of NYC, UA is back to carrying more passengers in the region, as of October, in spite of DL operating more flights, highlighting the inefficiency of an RJ-heavy split hub, a split hub that generates less revenue than UA’s powerhouse EWR hub.
I bring up the second point since it’s related...
Even more surprising that UA outperformed DL in the year with all the EWR FAA and construction issues earlier this year.
Speaking of NYC, UA is back to carrying more passengers in the region, as of October, in spite of DL operating more flights, highlighting the inefficiency of an RJ-heavy split hub, a split hub that generates less revenue than UA’s powerhouse EWR hub.
I bring up the second point since it’s related to the first NYC point, and also because Tim couldn’t stop talking about it during UA’s temporary drawdown. Now that the data has reversed, he just quietly drops the point.
God I wish I could spend the time going back to Timmy's posts in May or whenever the height of the EWR issues were when he referenced that PANYNJ dashboard like gospel and proclaimed that DL had taken a lead in NY they would never relinquish.
You can only paper over structural flaws for so long.
Ben. I’m very disappointed in this post. This quote stands out … “Let me emphasize that I haven’t personally seen this data, but JonNYC is incredibly reliable, so I’m inclined to believe it.” A better spin on this article would be to praise United for its improvements, but wait until the full set of data points are available before publishing an article that smells of ‘clickbait.’ Two things have been striking me as I’ve been...
Ben. I’m very disappointed in this post. This quote stands out … “Let me emphasize that I haven’t personally seen this data, but JonNYC is incredibly reliable, so I’m inclined to believe it.” A better spin on this article would be to praise United for its improvements, but wait until the full set of data points are available before publishing an article that smells of ‘clickbait.’ Two things have been striking me as I’ve been reading OMAAT recently: 1) You seem to have a royal burr up your butt when it comes to Bastian. He’s headed one of the most financially viable airline operations for years. 2) You’re starting to sound like Gary Leff in your coverage of Delta; I no longer click his blog – and I’ll do the same with OMAAT if you keep on writing stuff that clearly appears to be consistently biased.
Ben is happy to offer you a refund for your time reading the article
No better words can be said:
"A better spin on this article would be to praise United for its improvements, but wait until the full set of data points are available before publishing an article that smells of ‘clickbait.’ "
I have to agree w/ UA-NYC below but Ben can write what he wants and you - and me - can comment on not just what Ben says but also the other commenters.
DL...
No better words can be said:
"A better spin on this article would be to praise United for its improvements, but wait until the full set of data points are available before publishing an article that smells of ‘clickbait.’ "
I have to agree w/ UA-NYC below but Ben can write what he wants and you - and me - can comment on not just what Ben says but also the other commenters.
DL has never tried to win over the aviation blog community - probably because they realize bloggers don't move the needle of anything other the blood pressure of a few avgeeks.
Don't go away, Joel, either from this blog of VFTW but don't hesitate to speak up.
Ignore the dollar value of blogger influence at your own peril. Particularly the top 5% in their subject matter. I was dismissive until I watch the marketing department shift towards engagement.
Folks, it's not a good airline. It never was.
Wow Timmy D’s taint must be raw from the absolute spanking he’s getting today
He like getting spanked!
As an ATL-based DL flyer, this year has been the worst I can remember for extended delays, most of which weren't even weather-related. I had two separate flights from Vegas postponed overnight due to mechanical issues and ended up on a horrible redeye. The age of the domestic fleet is starting to catch up with DL. These ancient 767s and 757s can't go on forever.
As usual bean counters come in and want to slash costs, except for Executive pay. Maintaining good on time stats means investments in infrastructure, systems, people and training.
In fairness to the bean counters, pitching to your bosses that they should make less money is unlikely to lead to a positive outcome...
Ben is clearly trying to drive his own reader metrics to close out the year. that is perfectly obvious.
Jon’s tweet which so many of you cling to you proves precisely why I have so much fun on this and other sites.
“Year to date cancellation rates, mainline and regional combined, with mainline weighted more heavily than regional.”
Completely predictable. The arrogant UA fan crowd that can’t stand to admit that they really...
Ben is clearly trying to drive his own reader metrics to close out the year. that is perfectly obvious.
Jon’s tweet which so many of you cling to you proves precisely why I have so much fun on this and other sites.
“Year to date cancellation rates, mainline and regional combined, with mainline weighted more heavily than regional.”
Completely predictable. The arrogant UA fan crowd that can’t stand to admit that they really are #2 have to cherrypick and manipulate data in order to show themselves on top. Only in their mind do they weight flights to skew the data which doesn't math otherwise.
UA cancelled far more flights during its spring EWR meltdown including more regional flights (so its narrowbody flights to Europe could operate) but we’re supposed to not only forget that – despite the fact that it made national news for weeks on end – so we can blow a bad DL weekend way out of proportion.
And even if UA ends 2025 with a lower COMBINED rate of cancellations than DL, UA will still trail DL in on-time and, most notably, baggage handling where it sits at the bottom of the industry with AA.
It’s pretty obvious what these discussions are really about: a small group of people w/ low self-esteems (including a number of UA execs) that cannot honestly accept where their company really is and let other people recognize what they have legitimately done to improve that company which was horribly mismanaged UA for so long.
And the bigger issue is that DL, UA and every other US airline are for-profit businesses and UA simply does a far worse job of running its business than DL even though we have heard for the better part of a decade that UA would close the gap w/ DL. In fact, UA’s net profit for the first 3 quarters of 2025 trails DL’s by almost $1.5 billion dollars; DL made 64% more net profits than UA in the first 3 quarters and UA won’t close the gap in the 4th quarter.
I get that everyone wants to be the one that throws the guy sitting at the top off of their reign – but UA is nowhere near close to doing that either financially or operationally – and it takes cherrypicking and data manipulation for them to even try to argue their success.
Let’s also not forget that UA has yet to settle post covid labor contracts with two major unions representing over 1/3 of its entire workforce – which is at the root of what this whole discussion about DL’s pilot workrules and the automation to support it.
DL led the airline industry post covid in settling w/ its pilots in a contract worth twice as much as what UA offered and its pilots handedly rejected. DL then spread pay raises to its non-pilot, non-union personnel which has forced labor costs for the industry – except for UA – to astronomical levels. IOW, DL manages to report the highest profits in the US and still lead the industry in paying its employees. No other airline in the world generates profits on par with DL when adjusted for DL’s labor costs.
And UA loves to get in fights with everyone it can find – WN at DEN, AA at ORD, and any ULCC whatsoever – and UA is throwing more absolute capacity into the industry than any other US airline. UA has managed to turn its TPAC operation profitable but is now consistently losing money flying to Latin America where it is being marginalized and cut off from high value traffic by AA and DL. Add all of those factors together, and it is no wonder that UA can’t come close to dethroning DL.
This has been a fun year on the interwebs and I’ll be back for 2026 ready to debunk the manipulations and lies and show that DL really is not in danger of falling off the throne it built for itself.
@ Tim Dunn -- Hey, happy new year in advance, and I appreciate you reading. Regarding your post... yikes. When United's labor contracts come up in a post about Delta's on-time performance, obviously we're trying to change the topic. By the way, I agree with many of your points -- United isn't as profitable as Delta, and United needs to figure out its labor contracts. There's nothing to debate there.
But I'm curious, what's your...
@ Tim Dunn -- Hey, happy new year in advance, and I appreciate you reading. Regarding your post... yikes. When United's labor contracts come up in a post about Delta's on-time performance, obviously we're trying to change the topic. By the way, I agree with many of your points -- United isn't as profitable as Delta, and United needs to figure out its labor contracts. There's nothing to debate there.
But I'm curious, what's your take about the actual topic? Do you think Delta has fully maintained its operational reliability advantage compared to a decade ago, or do you think it has shrunk? If it has shrunk, do you think it's due to things worsening at Delta, things improving at United, or both? What do you think the causes are, specifically? I'd love to read your 10 paragraph analysis on that!
Come on Ben, you won’t get any self reflection from a megalomaniac. Good try though!
“obviously we're trying to change the topic.”
Isn’t that his usual tactic?
I’m pretty sure Tim won’t answer the question on the topic at hand, but I wonder if they’re getting distracted by their battles trying to compete against an even stronger AS in SEA while also throwing RJs at AUS, trying to gain some relevance as a distant fourth in Texas.
With low cost fortress hubs as the main focus, it was easier to maintain the machine that Richard Anderson built. Trying to compete in...
I’m pretty sure Tim won’t answer the question on the topic at hand, but I wonder if they’re getting distracted by their battles trying to compete against an even stronger AS in SEA while also throwing RJs at AUS, trying to gain some relevance as a distant fourth in Texas.
With low cost fortress hubs as the main focus, it was easier to maintain the machine that Richard Anderson built. Trying to compete in less-successful hubs and focus cities may have resulted in someone taking their eye off the ball.
Or maybe you can only leave something on cruise control for so long, especially when someone like Scott Kirby is running a resurgent United.
@Ben S
I would have to look at the data for all of 2025.
It should come as no surprise because I have said it over and over again that I DETEST people who cherrypick and manipulate data.
Did you honestly not ask jon what weighting he applied to his calculations to come up w/ a conclusion that UA has fractionally less cancellations this year than DL?
And if jon didn't do the...
@Ben S
I would have to look at the data for all of 2025.
It should come as no surprise because I have said it over and over again that I DETEST people who cherrypick and manipulate data.
Did you honestly not ask jon what weighting he applied to his calculations to come up w/ a conclusion that UA has fractionally less cancellations this year than DL?
And if jon didn't do the calculations, then where did they come from - and the same question applies.
Tell us, Ben, what sources weigh cancellation rates? The DOT and multiple private data sources report cancellation rates and not one that I have ever seen weights it one way or another.
The point is obvious, Ben.
Some people desperately want to see DL dethroned from its leadership position in the global industry.
I get it. no one likes the person or entity at the top.
And UA and its execs have made no end of claims about how they are challenging DL - and a whole lot of your readers and commenters believe it.
Problem is that they aren't if the only way they can show that they are on top is by manipulating data.
and the question then easily comes w/ what UA really does lead in - if you are willing to post tweets from people that claim UA is ahead - even w/ manipulated numbers - you shouldn't be surprised if someone trots out real data that shows ALL of the areas in which UA doesn't lead, including real operational performance which includes more than just a single cherrypicked weekend.
I like you, Ben, but you would do your readers and yourself a big favor if you would put a lid on your incessant need to create argument.
Jon's tweet should have never been posted w/o full disclosure as I said above and also w/ appropriate outside data (DOT or other private data source) to confirm or deny the validity.
And jon's original take when he exclaimed how Fd up DL's operation was should have been accompanied w/ a requirement for him to tell us how many flights have this tag regarding pilots being unavailable.
as for my take on the actual topic - which I have been monitoring on APC for weeks - is that DL and DALPA agreed to put in a new automated system using off the shelf software which incorporates DL contract rules.
If you read the APC discussion, there isn't even agreement that they want the features the software has automated - and yet ALPA sent out an email that said that nothing has been changed to DL's contract.
The software clearly did not do what DL or DALPA expected but DL's operation worked until bad weather first hit NYC, then MSP and DTW.
DL is down to single digit cancellations today. I don't know if they turned the software off, if they are revising it or what.
I am not interested in taking a central role on here - and I won't as long as accurate data is presented - or no data is presented at all.
as for your question in the title, the DOT will provide final operational data within a couple of months. Private sources will do it within days.
On-time is just one of many operational metrics, some of which are available from private data sources and some only the government collects - such as baggage handling, oversales and consumer complaints.
if you want to post articles that have their basis in data, then post the data from reputable sources
Tim, with all due respect. My Master's thesis was easier to read than your 9 paragraph replies. For 2026, try working on being more succinct in your writing. I may then try to read with them with a serious interest. Thank you!
Todd S
maybe the fact that I was able to write a 250 page doctoral dissertation makes it easy for me to whip out replies.
and you do know I voice dictate some of what I post on social media?
Did they dock points for failing to capitalize within your thesis, or did the Delta flight attendant pin it up in the galley?
Oh sweetheart… if that’s what a doctorate produced, I’d be asking for a refund and an apology letter. Because nothing in these replies suggests advanced research, critical thinking, or—how do I put this gently—basic intellectual supervision.
And the voice dictation excuse? Baby, that explains the typos, not the thoughts. Dictation doesn’t invent bad logic on its own; it just faithfully records it.
If this is what a “doctoral dissertation” sounds like in the wild, then...
Oh sweetheart… if that’s what a doctorate produced, I’d be asking for a refund and an apology letter. Because nothing in these replies suggests advanced research, critical thinking, or—how do I put this gently—basic intellectual supervision.
And the voice dictation excuse? Baby, that explains the typos, not the thoughts. Dictation doesn’t invent bad logic on its own; it just faithfully records it.
If this is what a “doctoral dissertation” sounds like in the wild, then academia is in danger and Spellcheck is an accessory.
Please stop invoking imaginary credentials like they’re a force field. If you actually had a doctorate, you wouldn’t need to keep reminding the room — the thinking would do the talking.
Right now it’s just a lot of words, very little rigor, and the confidence of someone who’s never been told “no” by a peer reviewer.
sweet, dear one.
the difference between me and you is that I can figure out the differences in contexts.
This ain't academia.
Discussion of unverified "data" should make it pretty clear what realm we are in.
It's not unverified. He said it's from MasFlight.
Do we finally have an acknowledgment from Tim that for the metric presented in the post, cancellation rate per capacity of brand marketed flights, UA beat Delta? More important than the metric gap is the gap in Delta vs Delta over time.
My take is United handles meltdowns far better but has more day to day maintenance issues. Much like how the industry was before the spate of multi day meltdowns. UA needs slack...
Do we finally have an acknowledgment from Tim that for the metric presented in the post, cancellation rate per capacity of brand marketed flights, UA beat Delta? More important than the metric gap is the gap in Delta vs Delta over time.
My take is United handles meltdowns far better but has more day to day maintenance issues. Much like how the industry was before the spate of multi day meltdowns. UA needs slack in their schedule with available spares, DL needs to focus on decision making and technology, something UA leads with if their app is a measurable tool.
have you seriously not read a thing that has been posted here?
I am not agreeing to falsified and manufactured data about any topic.
When someone admits they "weighted" data to provide an outcome, you know it can't be accurate.
it's really pretty simple.
If topics discuss issues that are verifiable by data, then use real, verifiable data.
Of simply discuss subjective "I think X is better than Y" which no one can argue about
So, when your cousin Ed Bastian gets on his knees for you, does he swallow?
I can already hear the steam coning out of certain people’s ears as they read this…
Hahahahahahaha, but they have the A350-1000 coming in 2027……………………….
DL laid off a lot of talent recently. I know at least two people with over 15 years that were blindsided. While I like flying DL, I do wonder if their "people first" approaching is truly still a "thing" which affects performance.