The 10 most on-time airports in America
The FAA ranks the hubs that get planes going when they're supposed to
One of the ironies of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cyberattack and its days-long delays is that it marred SeaTac’s reputation for being a fairly on-time airport. The Federal Aviation Administration tracks when airlines take off from which airports and how closely that aligns to posted flight schedules. Every year, the agency puts together a list of which ones get flights going when they’re supposed to go. Though Seattle made the top 10 in 2023, a different airport claimed the number-one spot.
Click through to see which airports ranked among America’s most on-time hubs.
10. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
In 2023, 79.1% of the North Carolina airport’s flights departed on time. That’s the exact same percentage as the airport saw in 2022, which made it the 12th-most on-time airport that year.
9. San Diego International Airport (SAN)
In 2023, 79.6% of the California airport’s flights departed on time. That’s a slight downgrade from the 80% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which was good for 8th-most on-time airport that year.
8. Los Angeles International Airports (LAX)
In 2023, 80.2% of the California airport’s flights departed on time. That’s a slight downgrade from the 80.8% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which made it the 6th-most on-time airport that year.
7. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
In 2023, 81.1% of the Pennsylvania airport’s flights departed on time. That’s a slight upgrade from the 80.8% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which was good for 5th-most on-time airport that year.
6. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
In 2023, 81.4% of the Virginia airport’s flights departed on time. That’s a slight upgrade from the 79.2% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which made it the 10th-most on-time airport that year.
5. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
In 2023, 81.5% of the Virginia airport’s flights departed on time. That’s a big upgrade from the 75% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which was good for 18th-most on-time airport that year.
4. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
In 2023, 81.9% of the Michigan airport’s flights departed on time. That’s a slight upgrade from the 81.4% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which was good for 3rd-most on-time airport that year.
3. Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
In 2023, 82.7% of the Washington state airport’s flights departed on time. That’s an upgrade from the 80.7% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which was good for 7th-most on-time airport that year.
2. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
In 2023, 83.1% of the Utah airport’s flights departed on time. That’s a slight downgrade from the 83.5% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which made it the most on-time airport that year.
1. Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
In 2023, 83.2% of the Minnesota airport’s flights departed on time. That’s an upgrade from the 81.3% on-time departure rate the airport saw in 2022, which was good for 4th-most on-time airport that year.