Southwest’s punctuality slide is now a real traveler problem

Southwest’s punctuality slide is now a real traveler problem

Southwest Airlines started 2026 with an on-time performance rate of 79.75% in January, but that had fallen to 64.94% by June, according to OAG. The airline’s cancellation rate has stayed relatively low, which is the one bright spot for anyone booked on it. Over the June 19 weekend, Southwest logged more than 2,000 delays on Friday, over 1,600 on Saturday, and 1,800 on Sunday, for a total of 5,651 delays across three days.

Gobble's Take: Delays may be the airline’s least catastrophic problem, but for travelers stuck in the middle of summer, that is cold comfort with a boarding pass. Source: Simple Flying

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