SAS tops airline global punctuality league

Scandinavian carrier SAS was the most punctual airline in the world last month, according to figures from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Cirium’s Global On-Time Performance Report said SAS led the pack with 89.72% of flights arriving at their destination on time in May.

The second spot was taken by Saudia, with an 89.18% punctuality score, closely followed by Aeromexico with 89.06%.

Qatar Airways and Avianca took the fourth and fifth spots with 87.48% and 85.81% of flights on-time respectively.

For European carriers, SAS was the most on-time airline in Europe last month, followed by Iberia Express, with 89.52% of all flights arriving on-time.

Austrian, Norwegian and Iberia also made the top five, offering customers punctual service on more than 84% of flights.

British Airways was the only UK airline in the European top 10, reaching 10th spot with a score of 79.43%.

Looking at airports, the report said Oslo Gardermoen Airport, serving Norway’s capital, was the most on-time large airport globally last month, with 91.22% of flights departing on-time, followed by Riyadh King Khalid International Airport.

Flight cancellations across Europe increased by 21.74% in May, with 6,466 cancelled flights compared to 5,311 in April.

The report also notes how Cirium has retired its Low-Cost Carrier category.

“This was a long-running discussion…the reality is, our categories are built around operational characteristics or regional factors – not business models,” said Mike Malik, advisory board member and committee chair.

“And the LCC label has become increasingly difficult to define. Many airlines that started as low-cost now look very similar to full- service carriers.

“Southwest is a good example, now planning assigned seating when open seating was an LCC product differentiator.

“We’ve also had pushback over the years from carriers offering premium cabins but still being classified as low-cost.

“It’s time to move on from that label. Former LCC airlines will continue to be eligible for inclusion in other categories, just like everyone else.”

SAS aircraft picture credit: Photofex_AUT / Shutterstock.com