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Airline on-time performance improves in May

Jul 13, 2009 Logistics

The nation’s largest airlines had a rate of on-time flights this past May that was higher than both the same month last year and the mark posted in April 2009, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). 
According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 80.5 percent in May, better than both the 79.0 percent on-time rate of May 2008 and April 2009’s 79.1 percent. 
The monthly report also includes data on lengthy tarmac delays, flight cancellations and the causes of flight delays by the reporting carriers, as well as reports of mishandled baggage filed with the carriers, and consumer service, disability and discrimination complaints received by DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division. This report also includes reports of incidents involving pets traveling by air, as required to be filed by U.S. carriers.

Cancellations
The consumer report includes BTS data on the number of domestic flights canceled by the reporting carriers. In May, the carriers canceled 0.9 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, lower than both the 1.0 percent cancellation rate of May 2008 and the 1.5 percent rate posted in April 2009. 

Tarmac delays
In May, the carriers filing on-time performance data reported that .0064 percent of their scheduled flights had tarmac delays of three hours or more, down from .0152 percent in April. There were eight flights with tarmac delays of four hours or more in May. 

Causes of flight delays
In May, the carriers filing on-time performance data reported that 7.36 percent of their flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 7.40 percent in April; 5.84 percent by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 6.19 percent in April; 4.56 percent by factors within the airline’s control, such as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 4.78 percent in April; 0.62 percent by extreme weather, compared to 0.69 percent in April; and 0.03 percent for security reasons, the same percentage as April. Weather is a factor in both the extreme-weather category and the aviation-system category. This includes delays due to the re-routing of flights by DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration in consultation with the carriers involved. Weather is also a factor in delays attributed to late-arriving aircraft, although airlines do not report specific causes in that category.
Data collected by BTS also shows the percentage of late flights delayed by weather, including those reported in either the category of extreme weather or included in National Aviation System delays. In May, 47.01 percent of late flights were delayed by weather, up 6.72 percent from May 2008, when 44.05 percent of late flights were delayed by weather, and up 5.93 percent from April when 44.38 percent of late flights were delayed by weather. 


Source: Transport Weekly

 

 
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