oneworld named best alliance for on-time flights

oneworld is the best alliance for on-time flights. Its members collectively maintained a more punctual operation in 2012 than their counterparts in the other global airline groups, according to the independent FlightStats organisation, which presented oneworld with Airline Alliance On-Time Performance Award for 2012 – which is believed to be the first time a punctuality award has been presented to any global airline alliance. oneworld members also rated highly in FlightStats’ awards for individual airlines.   

Japan Airlines (JAL) retained its title as the world’s most punctual major airline, winning the top Airline On-Time Performance Award for the third time since it was first presented four years ago. JAL was the Asian Major Airline with the best on-time record. oneworld’s newest member, Malaysia Airlines, was a runner-up in this category.  

JAL was also in the top five airlines worldwide in the Network Global Airlines section, for carriers with a large number of longhaul flights and including code-shares operated by partners. JAL subsidiary J-Air, an affiliate member of oneworld, was the most punctual Asian Regional Airline with its stablemates JAL Express and Japan Transocean Air, also affiliate members of oneworld, runners-up.

Other oneworld members ranking highly in the study included:

Finnair, in the European Major Airlines class and for Lowest Global Cancellations.

Qantas, in the Pacific Major Airlines category.

LAN Peru (a oneworld affiliate member), in the South America Major Airlines section.

oneworld member elect Qatar Airways was in the top five airlines in the Middle East and Africa class.

The awards are based on FlightStats’ tracking of the performance of nearly 150,000 flights a day operated airlines worldwide.  It analyses that data by airline, by route and by airport to identify those with the best punctuality records.

It says the awards are “designed to recognise those airlines and airports that demonstrate consistently high performance and deliver on their promise to get passengers to their destinations in a timely manner.”

The alliance award is based on the cumulative on-time performance of all the airlines that operate within the three global airline groups. Collectively, oneworld’s members and members elect currently operate some 12,500 flights a day.

FlightStats Founder and President Jeff Kennedy said: “Competition by airlines for travellers is fierce.  Airlines differentiate their offering to appeal to travellers via alliance membership, loyalty programs, schedule frequency, seat comfort, ancillary services and on-time performance. Recognising the importance these airline alliances play in competing for high-value international travellers, FlightStats added an airline alliance category to the 2012 On-time Performance Service Awards to help give customers yet another data point with which to evaluate with whom they want to spend their next travel dollar.”

oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby said: “oneworld aims to be the first choice alliance for frequent international travellers. We and our member airlines know just how important it is to these customers in particular that flights depart and arrive on time, so it is gratifying that our on-time performance has been confirmed as the best by FlightStats’ independent audit.”

oneworld is also the current holder of three of the overall ‘best alliance’ awards – from Global Traveler magazine in its GT Tested Reader Survey 2012 Awards for the third year running, in the 2012 World Travel Awards for the 10th year running, and from Australian Business Traveller in 2012 for the second year running.

oneworld is also the current holder of both awards presented to alliances for the quality of the wines served in flight by member airlines – Business Traveller’s Cellars in the Sky trophy for the fourth year running and Global Traveler’s Wines on the Wing for the second consecutive year.