Airlines’ on-time arrival rates remain high
Airlines’ on-time arrival rates remain high
The nation’s largest airlines ended 2011 with one of their best records for getting passengers and their bags to their destinations on time, USA Today reported.
Nearly eight in 10 flights, 79.6 percent, arrived at gates within 15 minutes of their scheduled time during 2011, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) report. That’s down slightly from 79.8 percent the previous year, but still the fourth-highest for any year in the 17 years with comparable numbers.
Flights departing from Des Moines International Airport were on time 84.1 percent of the time last year, according to the BTS database. Flights coming in to Des Moines arrived on time 79.1 percent of the time. Fewer than 3 percent of arriving or departing Des Moines flights were canceled.
Nationwide, the rate of mishandled baggage fell to the lowest on record in 2011, decreasing to 3.39 lost bags per 1,000 passengers from 3.51 the previous year.
And fewer passengers were bumped from their flights than in 2010. The rate for bumping passengers was 0.81 per 10,000 passengers, down from the 1.09 rate in 2010. That’s the lowest rate since 2002.
Despite the performance, the Transportation Department got 3 percent more complaints against U.S. airlines in 2011 than the year before. Travelers lodged 9,425 complaints about service, which some analysts attributed to fewer flights and more crowded planes.
In December, the airlines with the best on-time performance were AirTran Airways, which is merging with Southwest Airlines; Hawaiian Airlines, which benefits from favorable weather; and Delta. The carriers with the worst performance were Frontier Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Continental Airlines, which is merging with United Airlines.
The nation’s largest airlines ended 2011 with one of their best records for getting passengers and their bags to their destinations on time, USA Today reported.
Nearly eight in 10 flights, 79.6 percent, arrived at gates within 15 minutes of their scheduled time during 2011, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) report. That’s down slightly from 79.8 percent the previous year, but still the fourth-highest for any year in the 17 years with comparable numbers.
Flights departing from Des Moines International Airport were on time 84.1 percent of the time last year, according to the BTS database. Flights coming in to Des Moines arrived on time 79.1 percent of the time. Fewer than 3 percent of arriving or departing Des Moines flights were canceled.
Nationwide, the rate of mishandled baggage fell to the lowest on record in 2011, decreasing to 3.39 lost bags per 1,000 passengers from 3.51 the previous year.
And fewer passengers were bumped from their flights than in 2010. The rate for bumping passengers was 0.81 per 10,000 passengers, down from the 1.09 rate in 2010. That’s the lowest rate since 2002.
Despite the performance, the Transportation Department got 3 percent more complaints against U.S. airlines in 2011 than the year before. Travelers lodged 9,425 complaints about service, which some analysts attributed to fewer flights and more crowded planes.
In December, the airlines with the best on-time performance were AirTran Airways, which is merging with Southwest Airlines; Hawaiian Airlines, which benefits from favorable weather; and Delta. The carriers with the worst performance were Frontier Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Continental Airlines, which is merging with United Airlines.
Trending News
