Tue, Nov 25, 2008
Or ORD, Or LGA, Or JFK...
Just in time for the holidays, in
what could be taken as a precautionary measure -- or simply rubbing
it in -- Forbes has released its list of the most stressful US
commercial airports.
The business publication took information gleaned from the
Department of Transportation's November 2008 Air Travel Consumer
Report, to determine which airports had the worst records for
on-time arrivals and departures from September 2007 through
September 2008. Airports were then rated worst-to-best.
It will likely not come as a surprise to anyone used to flying
from the Northeastern US that four area airports appear in the top
five: Philadelphia International, John F. Kennedy International,
Newark International and LaGuardia International. Only Chicago
O'Hare -- tied for second with JFK on the worst list -- breaks the
stranglehold.
In fact, an airport's on-time performance generally improves the
further west you go. Los Angeles International handles more traffic
than JFK or O'Hare... and rates much better when it comes to
delays. The secret, according to AAA, is that LAX has a lot more
breathing room -- more gates, parallel runways, and less-congested
airspace.
There's some good news to report. If you're traveling onboard a
commercial airliner over the upcoming holiday season, you'll be
doing so with 7.2 percent fewer people around, according to the
American Automobile Association. The overall number of planes
flying has dropped by 12 percent, the result of cuts in capacity
seen over the past year.
In doing the math, however, passengers will arrive at a sad
reality: the planes that are flying will still be jam-packed. The
Air Transport Association says commercial airliners will be 90
percent full on the three busiest travel days of the Thanksgiving
season -- November 26, November 30 and December 1.
That's news that makes the idea of a horse-drawn sleigh seem
more than just nostalgic. It may just be preferable!
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