Air Canada ranks last in on-time performance among 10 biggest North American airlines

A new report says Air Canada ranked last in on-time performance among the 10 largest airlines in North America, as some carriers north of the border struggle to find their post-pandemic footing despite much better outcomes than the travel chaos of 2022. Canada's biggest carrier landed 51% of its flights on time last month, according to figures from aviation data firm Cirium. WestJet, which placed seventh, saw 62% of its trips make it to the gate on time -- defined as within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival. The two outcomes paled in comparison to top performers Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which notched 82% and 79%, respectively. North American airlines' average on-time performance stood at 66%, the worst by far of any of the regions tracked in the report, including Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa. On top of a shortage of air traffic controllers, Air Canada has pointed to thunderstorms and a network running at full tilt amid high demand, which can mean longer recovery times after a disruption. Some 140,000 passengers per day flew on Air Canada's 36,000 trips last month, said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick in an email. "As with any system, when it is operating at full capacity it may slow processes down and take longer to recover when issues arise. That said, many of the delays were relatively short," he said. Last month, the IATA called out air traffic control organizations in North America, which include Nav Canada, for staffing shortages that "continue to produce unacceptable delays and disruptions." Nav Canada has acknowledged that some delays at the country's biggest airports over the past two months owe in part to a dearth of air traffic controllers.<br/>