Typically, Hawaiian Airlines is the perennial top performer as far as punctuality goes in the U.S. Not this time. Instead, Alaska beat Hawaiian in on-time performance, which is the first time I remember seeing this happen.
When it comes to on-time performance, Hawaiian has an advantage over most other domestic airlines. For one, a large majority of the flights the airline operates are within Hawaii. In fact, Hawaiian operates over 40 flights per day between Honolulu and Kahului alone. That’s likely around 20% of Hawaiian’s entire daily schedule. Plus, operating primarily in Hawaii has advantages such as the weather and lack of congestion like at LAX, JFK, etc. Given this, it’s easy to see why Hawaiian is almost always the most punctual airline in the U.S.
Alaska Beat Hawaiian in On-Time Performance
Despite its advantages, Hawaiian wasn’t the most punctual airline in the U.S. during July 2022. That’s because Alaska beat Hawaiian in on-time performance last month! Specifically, 82.6% of Alaska’s flights were on-time, just slightly edging out Hawaiian, which was prompt 80% of the time. For comparison, Alaska operated nearly 37,000 flights in July, while Hawaiian had only 7,000. Further, Alaska was forced to cancel only 0.4% of its schedule. Delta barely trailed Hawaiian at 79.3% of its schedule being adhered to. Of course, Delta flew more than these two airlines combined, with nearly 140,000 flights last month.
In my limited anecdotal experience, my flights with Alaska are almost always on-time. The one exception was the Virgin America flight I took from Vegas to San Francisco. While we left on time, the wind direction at LAS changed, forcing us to taxi from one end of the airport to the other. By the time we did that, though, the Airbus’ delicate brakes had overheated, and we had to park on the side to allow them to cool. Then, of course, a non-rev had a “medical event” necessitating a return to the gate. From what I was told, the person was wasted.
That said, my Alaska flights are typically on-time and can even be up to an hour early! Hawaiian… Not so much. In fact, quite a high percentage of my Hawaiian flights are delayed or canceled. Often, it’s due to their aging fleet of Boeing 717s, though their relatively new A330s seem to have their fair share of issues too. What makes matters worse is that Hawaiian usually takes FOREVER to get your bags off the plane. Alaska and Delta both have 20-minute guarantees, which they typically deliver on.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad to finally see Alaska beat Hawaiian in on-time performance. To me, they run things well, though they’re hindered by their primary hubs being at SEA, SFO, and LAX. Aside from the congestion at these airports, weather issues aren’t uncommon at SEA and SFO. What makes this feat even more impressive is the chaotic travel environment we exist in today. When delays and cancelations are the daily norm, Alaska’s overall performance is exceptional.