Flying for the holidays? These are the best and worst airlines at PHL

As millions take to the skies this holiday season, one question looms large for air travelers: Will your flight arrive on time? With record Thanksgiving travel behind us, the stage is set for an equally hectic December.

Philadelphians are no exception. This summer marked the busiest season at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) since at least early 2022, according to an Inquirer analysis of data from FlightAware, a leading global flight-tracking platform.

As it turned out, many of those travelers didn’t arrive at their destinations on time.

This summer accounted for three of the seven most delayed months at PHL over the last three years, with about 29% of 39,000 completed flights delayed. An additional 3% of flights were canceled.

Despite these delays, PHL is among the nation’s and the world’s most reliable airports in recent years, delaying just two in 10 flights and canceling less than 2% since the start of 2022. This is marginally lower than the national average during that same period.

So what makes PHL stand out?

PHL’s chief operating officer, Keith Brune, said there isn’t a single explanation for its success.

One could point to PHL’s position in the Delaware River Basin, Brune said, where the city often receives less snow and is warmer than its East Coast counterparts. However, PHL also operates in one of the busiest air spaces in the world, competing for takeoff slots in a crowded flight network.

Another factor is the presence of airline hubs at PHL, particularly American Airlines, which operates the majority of flights at the airport. Hub airlines like American, along with its regional affiliates Republic Airways, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines, bring extensive staffing, maintenance resources, and logistical support, Brune explained. These resources help mitigate the impact of delays and cancellations.

However, it’s worth noting that snowfall in Philadelphia has been significantly lower during the period analyzed. This trend could be a factor in the relatively strong winter performance at PHL, as fewer snowstorms mean less disruption to flight schedules. According to the National Weather Service, the region has seen below-average snowfall in recent years, which could skew the data compared with periods with more typical winter weather.

Piedmont Airlines, a regional carrier for American Airlines, is PHL’s most reliable airline. Over the last three years, only 13.2% of Piedmont flights were delayed, and just 1.1% were canceled.

Glenda Rivera, Piedmont’s senior director overseeing Philadelphia operations, said its success can be attributed to its status as a “hub” airline at PHL.

“We have a maintenance base and a crew base, so while there are challenges with weather, air traffic, and all sorts of things that can happen outside of our control — what we do control is the resources and coordination to keep these flights on time,” she said.

Piedmont’s daily flight numbers aren’t peanuts, either, scheduling the second-most daily flights — behind only American Airlines — with on average more than 50 flights per day over the last three years.

The on-time runners-up don’t fly nearly as many flights, with Delta Airlines flying 15, Republic flying 22, and United Airlines flying 10 flights per day on average.

Frontier Airlines, an ultralow-cost carrier headquartered in Denver, ranks as the least reliable airline at PHL. Serving more than 120 destinations across North and Central America, Frontier had nearly one in three flights at PHL delayed by 15 minutes or more over the last three years, and 2% were canceled — comparable to the national average cancellation rate.

Those are the worst rates among airlines with at least 10,000 scheduled flights, which account for 93% of all flights at PHL, according to The Inquirer’s analysis. The airline did not respond to a request for comment.

Frontier’s low fares come at a cost. The airline consistently ranks near the bottom in customer satisfaction surveys, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index Travel Study, where it placed second-to-last for the last two years, just ahead of Spirit Airlines, another budget option. Spirit, which ranked second-worst in The Inquirer’s analysis, faces similar challenges with delays and cancellations.

Yet, for some travelers, the savings are worth the trade-off. Frontier’s average fare at PHL this year was $69, compared with $251 on American Airlines, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. However, Frontier’s additional fees for carry-on bags and seat assignments can quickly add up.

While PHL’s overall reliability is strong, delays and cancellations do happen. The Federal Aviation Administration reports that most flight delays are caused by weather (75%), followed by air traffic volume (14%) and runway closures (6%).

“These factors can send ripples across the U.S,” Brune said of flight delays cascading. “Dallas-Fort Worth is American Airlines’ hometown airport. It’s in North Texas: Think tornadoes, think thunderstorms. If they have sniffles in Dallas, the rest of the system catches the flu.”

Summer is consistently the worst season for flight delays and cancellations at Philadelphia International Airport, with seven of the top 10 months for delays and six of the top 10 months for cancellations occurring since the start of 2022. The reasons are complex, but weather is always a key factor.

While winter is typically associated with adverse weather, summer patterns can wreak just as much havoc on flight schedules, Rivera said.

“Summer delays all reduce to one word: thunderstorms,” Rivera said. “When there are thunderstorms, the ramp closes. No one can off-load aircrafts, passengers have to stay on planes. This summer we had a day where the ramp closed for four hours.” During these storms, planes are grounded, incoming flights are diverted, and planes that are forced to land sit isolated until gates reopen.

That’s not to say Philly’s winters don’t cause their share of disruptions. The single worst day for delays was Jan. 19, 2024, when a snowstorm dumped six inches of snow on the city, compounded by poor weather across the country. That day, 94% of flights were delayed.

The worst day for cancellations occurred on Jan. 29, 2022, when two-thirds of flights were grounded due to a winter storm.

So what do summer thunderstorms and winter snowstorms have in common? One word: precipitation.

About one in four flights was delayed on days with rain or snow, compared with just about 15% on clear days.

The takeaway? If packing an umbrella for your trip, consider grabbing a good book, too — you might need it at the gate.

For passengers hoping to dodge delays, Brune’s advice is simple: Book the earliest flight of the day.

Flying early is even more critical with non-hub airlines, which have fewer planes available to mitigate delays, Brune said.

“Thunderstorms are generated by the ground warming, heat going up into humid air,” he said. “So it’s cooler in the morning and you have smoother air to fly through. As opposed to you’re leaving at 3 p.m., and your plane could already be delayed two hours and there’s not a thing you can do about it.”

The holidays can be stressful enough without worrying about whether your flight will take off on time. Here are a few tips to help make your journey smoother:

Holiday travel doesn’t have to be a headache. With some preparation and patience, you can navigate the chaos and get where you’re going — hopefully with some cheer intact.