A new report says the country’s two biggest airlines ranked last for on-time performance among large North American carriers last month. But it’s getting better.

Aviation data company Cirium says nearly 28% of Air Canada flights, or more than 8,700, landed late in October, placing the company ninth out of 10 airlines on the continent.

The report found WestJet came last with nearly 29% of arrivals touching down late – defined as more than 15 minutes after scheduled arrival.

The two airlines’ on-time percentage of just over 70% falls far short of the North American average of 80% – itself the lowest of any region globally – while Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines all notched north of 85%.

Nonetheless, Air Canada’s outcome marks an improvement from its tally of 68% the previous month and represents even greater gains from the summer.

WestJet confirmed Cirium’s figures and said a myriad factors contributed to the results, “most notably a weather event that impacted our operations in Calgary at the end of the month.”

“We are pleased with our year-to-date on-time performance and the meticulous planning that has gone into ensuring that our operations over peak travel periods have been safe and reliable for those that are travelling across our network each day,” WestJet spokeswoman Madison Kruger said in an email.

Air Canada did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

In the past, CEO Michael Rousseau has acknowledged Air Canada’s relatively low ranking recently, including after a wave of flight delays in June and July.

Despite more staff and revamped technology, the carrier’s operations failed to meet “expected levels,” he told analysts on a conference call in August, and cited “severe weather” – thunderstorms, in particular – and “global supply chain issues” as among the culprits.

“We’re spending a lot of time improving our on-time performance,” he said.

He also acknowledged that high load factors do result in more “spilling traffic” after flights are cancelled, as passengers scramble to rebook with competitors and may arrive hours or days later than planned.

Stretched capacity in the sector extends to labour as well, from pilots to baggage handlers. In July, IATA called out air traffic control organizations in North America, which include Nav Canada, for staffing shortages that “continue to produce unacceptable delays and disruptions.”

Nav Canada has acknowledged that some delays at the country’s biggest airports relate in part to a dearth of air traffic controllers.