U.S airlines achieved strong operational performances during this year's holiday season.
Over the 13 days between Dec. 21 and Jan. 2, the carriers canceled just 0.5% of flights, FlightAware data shows.
It was a far cry from the 2022 holiday season, which was dominated by fallout from Southwest's operational collapse. Driven by Southwest's cancellation of more than 16,000 flights, U.S. carriers canceled 10.5% of flights during the equivalent period last year.
Scheduling and staffing-level improvements, both at airlines and at FAA air traffic control facilities, were likely causes of the relatively smooth season.
So was better weather. A massive winter storm that touched much of the nation at the start of the 2022 holiday travel period set off the Southwest meltdown and caused shorter-lived disruptions at other airlines. Weather was largely mild over this year's holiday season.
The strong holiday period capped a year in which U.S. airlines canceled 1.2% of flights, the lowest rate since 2016 when they also canceled 1.2% of flights, the Transportation Department said. By comparison, U.S. carriers canceled 2.3% of flights in 2022.
However, U.S. airlines didn't improve in on-time performance: Carriers arrived late on 20.7% of flights in 2023, nearly equal to the 2022 delay rate of 20.6%. Overall, Delta was the best on-time performer in 2023, according to Cirium data.
In a statement, the DOT secretary Pete Buttigieg gave his department some of the credit for the 2023 improvements, pointing to the tougher stance the DOT has taken over the past two years on airline consumer protections.
"We are glad to see this 10-year low rate of cancellations, and our department will continue to take every step to ensure air travel is smooth and safe for passengers in the new year," Buttigieg said.
Most recently, the DOT levied a $140 million fine on Southwest for its 2022 holiday season fiasco. The department has also proposed new consumer-protection regulations, including mandatory airline refunds for lengthy flight delays and new upfront disclosure requirements for ancillary fees.