Aircraft being punctual is one of the most important metrics for an airport. It shows how efficient they are working with airlines to get planes departing and arriving on time. Airports and airlines use on time performance (OTP) as the measurement of punctuality. Which is how many planes depart/arrive within 15 minutes of their schedule. We are looking at the OTP of mega airports, these are airports with 30+ million seats departing annually.
10. Chicago O’Hare
Number 10 is Chicago O’Hare, the first of five American airports on the list. They have definitely figured out how to improve their OTP for a huge airport. Likely this is also due to the large amount of mega airports in America. But definitely an amazing logistical effort given the amount of passengers and planes through these airports. Chicago O’Hare itself has a modest OTP of 76.67%; which seems low but again considering the volume of passengers this is still impressive.
9. Bangkok
Bangkok is major transit hub in Thailand for south east Asia definitely earning its mega airport title. They have managed to best one American mega airport but not the rest. With an OTP of 77.21% they have made a fantastic effort of what is a major logistical challenge.
8. Amsterdam
First of the European mega airports on the list is Amsterdam, another well known transit hub. They have managed to achieve an on time performance of 77.73% in 2018. Hopefully they will be keeping it up or even improving in 2019 for all their 30+ million passengers.
7. Dallas/Fort Worth
Second of the US airports on this list is the Texan mega airport – Dallas/Fort Worth. It is starting to become a popular alternative to Los Angeles as an entry point in the US. This is likely due to the purportedly better customer service. Also the advent of cheaper long range aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 are making flights to Dallas/Fort Worth feasible. Another cracking effort at on time performance getting 78.23% of flights departing or arriving within 15 minutes of their schedule.
6. Madrid
The Spanish capital’s Airport, Madrid, beats out Amsterdam for most punctual airport in Europe and gets a solid number 6 in world rankings. While not as well known as the other hubs on this list, Madrid has achieved a respectable 79.16% for their OTP metric. Perhaps it is another option for a smooth transit through Europe.
5. Los Angeles
Los Angeles, is the biggest US airport on the Western seaboard and has an enormous amount of flights going through. While in recent times LAX hasn’t received the best feedback for its customer service; it has managed to keep a nice OTP for its passengers. An on time performance of 79.95% gets LAX the number 5 spot on this list.
4. Denver
The mid west mega airport, Denver, comes in at 4th; with an impressive 80.65% of flights departing or arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. While not beating LAX by a huge margin; Denver has still managed to be the number 2 most punctual mega airport in the US.
3. Singapore Changi
Only narrowly beating the second most punctual US airport by 0.05% is Singapore Changi Airport. Changi can also claim the title of most punctual airport in South East Asia. It’s no surprise as the mega transit hub is known for its airport efficiency. In 2018 it has achieved a incredible OTP of 80.70%.
2. Atlanta
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport, arguably the biggest hub in America has claimed the number 2 spot. It has also taken the crown of mo,st punctual mega airport in the US. With an on time performance of 82.23%, maybe Atlanta is the airport to transit through next time you are travelling through the US.
1. Tokyo Haneda
Number 1, the Japanese powerhouse Tokyo Haneda is head and shoulders above the competition. It has a reasonably large margin above number 2 and even more against the others. Haneda really shows the Japanese efficiency that is so often attributed to the country and many of its systems. The number 1 punctual Asian and world mega airport has achieved an OTP of 85.62%; which is astounding given the logistical effort required.
Indeed, maybe you should consider flying into these airports next holiday for a smooth, stress free experience! Have you had any experience travelling through airports? Agree or disagree with the OTP reports?
All data provided by OAG.
Alche is a passionate writer about many topics and wants to share knowledge in a simple way so all readers can enjoy and learn.