The first six months of the year have come and gone, and it’s now time to see which airlines are the best and worst for flight cancellations.
A study from the experts at SkyRefund reveals that American Airlines was most likely to cancel flights, with 2.69 percent of flights canceled in the first six months of the year. Frontier is second, with 1.85 percent.
The study, exclusively shared with Men’s Journal, covered data from the 10 largest U.S. carriers per statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The data covers January 1, to June 30.
The Lowest Rates of Canceled Flights
Hawaiian Airlines and Allegiant Airlines fared the best when it comes to having the lowest rates of flight cancellations.
Hawaiian Airlines only canceled 0.91 percent of its flights in the first six months of 2025, while Allegiant only canceled 0.55 percent.
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Reason For Cancellations
Weather was the main reason for 73.5 percent (or 43,785) of all flights canceled in the first six months of 2025, per statistics from the BTS.
The carriers were responsible for 16 percent (or 9,527) of canceled flights.
Related: These Are the Most Hated Airlines in the World
Issues with air traffic control and airport systems across the country accounted for 10.5 percent (6,285) of flights being canceled, per the BTS, and only 10 flights were canceled due to security concerns.
That being said, these numbers fare better compared to 2024, as more than a million fewer people were impacted by flight cancellations in the first six months of 2025.
A staggering 5.6 million passengers had their flights canceled in the first six months of 2024, compared to only 4.3 million in the first six months of 2025.
“The reduction in flight cancellations will come as welcome news to U.S. air travelers, who have had to bear the brunt of high levels of disruption to their journeys, particularly post-COVID,” said Ivalyo Danilov, CEO of SkyRefund. “In fact, flight cancellations are down to below pre-pandemic levels.”
Danilov is adamant that this improvement “reflects ongoing efforts to improve resiliency in the sector,” such as major funding provided by the Biden administration in 2021, which allocated $25 billion to fund major airport and maintenance upgrades.
The Top 10 Major U.S. airlines With The Most Canceled Flights So Far In 2025:
1. American Airlines: 2.69 per cent of flights, or 26,513 flights canceled.
2. Frontier: 1.85 per cent of flights, or 1,836 flights canceled.
3. Spirit: 1.41 per cent of flights, or 1,509 flights canceled.
4. United: 1.35 per cent of flights, or 9,578 flights canceled.
5. Delta: 1.22 per cent of flights, or 9,696 flights canceled.
6. JetBlue: 1.04 per cent of flights, or 1,205 flights canceled.
7. Alaska: 0.98 per cent of flights, or 1,905 flights canceled.
8. Southwest: 0.95 per cent of flights, or 6,562 flights canceled.
9. Hawaiian: 0.91 per cent of flights, or 365 flights canceled.
10. Allegiant: 0.55 per cent of flights, or 370 flights canceled.
