Airlines improve on-time performance in May
By now, we all know that soft demand for airline tickets and a global recession have hit major airlines hard. But new figures released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation provided one piece of good news: the percentage of flights arriving on time in May was better than the previous month - and the previous May.
The 19 largest U.S. air carriers collectively turned in an 80.5 percent on-time arrival rate in May, according to the figures. By comparison, the on-time rate was 79 percent last May and 79.1 percent in April of this year.
According to the report, the airlines with the best on-time arrival rates were: Hawaiian (90.3 percent); Sky West (86.8 percent); and Pinnacle (86.8 percent). Those with the worst rates were: Comair (65.7 percent); Atlantic Southeast (70.8 percent); and AirTran Airways (75.6 percent).
A flight is considered on-time if it arrives with 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time, said Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Mosley.
Weather played a bigger role in the May flight delays this year than it did in the previous month and May 2008.
Overall, air carriers also reported a slight drop in the percentage of canceled flights in May.
You can find more details about flight delays on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics site at http://www.bts.gov.
One of the more interesting tidbits you might not even realize is that most scheduled flight times already include a cushion for minor delays so that the change of being “on-time” is improved….and still 1 out every 5 flights is late. All the cancelled routes and reduced flight schedules at U.S. airports, and they can only muster a 1.3% increase? No wonder the airlines continue to struggle…