Aviation analytics company Cirium’s 2023 on-time performance list for commercial airlines may surprise its readers by showing that Southwest and JetBlue airlines rank just as poorly as no-frills airlines like Spirit and Frontier.
Spirit and Frontier, among the least costly, have gained reputations for offering lower quality service and amenities. For example, to save money on fuel, they both forego padding on their seats,, as cushioning is added weight. Their seats, made out of a cheaper molded plastic material, are decidedly less comfortable. Some other common complaints are that they charge extra for their beverages and several other amenities, along with lacking punctuality.
Given these dubious reputations, it may not be surprising that these two companies rank low on Cirium’s list for 2023. However, what might be more shocking is that generally acclaimed airlines like Southwest and JetBlue rank just as poorly.
According to the rankings, they both come in quite low in the on-time arrival records compared to other airlines like Delta, which ranked number one with a 84.72% on-time arrival rate, and others such as Alaska, American, and United, which all have better than 80% on-time arrival records.
Southwest Airlines comes in well below the top four with 76.26% on-time arrival rate, while JetBlue falls way below the top with a rate of 68.33%. This leaves Southwest just ahead of Spirit, which has an on-time rate of 71.16%, and also Frontier (68.33%), whereas JetBlue falls behind these considerably cheaper airlines completely.
Yet, according to View from the Wing’s Gary Leff, Southwest may have a preemptive excuse for its performance. “Southwest always lags in on-time performance, but they also schedule to turn planes a little faster than rivals. They don’t start boarding until 30 minutes prior to departure, versus 35 and even 40 minutes for competitors,” he reported.
Something also important to consider is that JetBlue and Spirit agreed to a $3.8 billion merger back in July of 2022, and the deal is currently awaiting approval from a U.S. federal court, which hinted it might allow the deal if the combined company sheds certain assets.
Leff, however, does not believe the deal should be approved, claiming that JetBlue needs to get its own problems in order before taking on another airline that has the same issues with timeliness and service.
“If anything, based on the data, Spirit should merge them into theirs! Spirit has really improved its operations a lot compared to where they were 7 and 8 years ago,” he asserted.
After this year’s ranking, Southwest, and JetBlue especially, may be taking the back seat when it comes to the airlines with the fastest and highest quality service.
