Most Reliable On-Time Service - Domestic Airline

Winner: Southwest
Second Place: Continental
Honorable Mention: JetBlue

At least for the readers who voted in our poll, perception and reality are totally different when it comes to on-time service, except for their view of Southwest, the airline voted the best. According to DOT reports measuring the percentage of on-time arrivals between August 2007 and August 2008, Southwest had the second best record of U.S. airlines, following Hawaiian, an airline not included in this category because of its relatively small size. On the other hand, the second place and honorable mention airlines in this category, Continental and JetBlue, turned out to have the 10th and 14th best on-time records, respectively, in the DOT report of 19 airlines. US Airways, which readers voted last in on-time service, was actually ranked number 3 by the DOT. Perhaps SmarterTravel readers' memories are haunted by bad memories from 2007 when US Airways' on-time performance was abysmal.

Voting Breakdown:

Southwest.....................38.84%
Continental....................9.42%
JetBlue..........................6.99%
Delta.............................6.97%
American.......................6.04%
AirTran..........................4.67%
United...........................4.30%
Northwest.....................3.63%
US Airways...................3.23%
Other............................15.90%
Total.............................100%

See All Category Winners

Best Value Domestic Airline | Best Customer Service | Best Airfare Prices | Best In-Seat Comfort | Best Onboard Entertainment | Best Routes and Availability | Most Reliable On-Time Service | Best Baggage Service | Best Standard Economy Class | Best Value Frequent Flyer Program | Least Favorite Domestic Airline | Cleanest Airline Cabin | Dirtiest Airline Cabin | Best Value International Airline | Favorite U.S. Airport | Least favorite U.S. Airport