It's not long since Air Canada and WestJet were revealed to be the two worst airlines in North America for on-time arrivals. (This was actually in January 2024. Cirium does not appear to have published figures for 2025 for some reason.)
So, imagine my surprise when I received an email from Air Canada (as a "valued customer") crowing that they had been crowned the Best Airline in North America, not to mention a bunch of other superlatives like Most Family-Friendly Airline in North America, Best Cabin Crew in North America, Best Business Class Lounge Dining, etc, etc.
These accolades were apparently drawn from the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards. And, sure enough, there is Air Canada at No. 19 in the world, far removed from the likes of Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways, but still ahead of any other North American airline. Delta Air Lines comes in at No. 22, Canada's Porter Airlines is at No. 44, with United Airlines at No. 51 and American Airlines at a lowly No. 83.
I know the Skytrax ratings are based on more than just prompt arrivals, but, even so, how can an airline that is so bad at getting customers home on time be considered so good overall? In fact, Air Canada improved its ranking from 29th to 19th in spite of its abysmal late arrivals record, and Delta fell from 21st to 22nd, in spite of having the best on-time arrivals record of any North American airline.
Do these surveys have any value at all?
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