Originally Posted by
RemoveB4Flight
The only reason Delta keeps their cancelations so low is they perpetually delay a flight that should be classified as cancelled (delayed 14+ hours to the next day). They will bend over backwards to keep it from being tallied as a cancellation, even if it means inconvenience to the passengers by continuously stringing them along.
When I worked for the regionals, American and United would (typically) cancel appropriately when needed. I had a better chance of getting struck by lightning than Delta canceling a hopeless flight.
Delta does that on occasion during irregular ops but does not string the passengers along. They rebook them on the earliest flight option and will move them to other airlines. It’s a rare occurrence however as you will note they generally lead the industry in both on time and completion factor.