Overall On-Time Rate Was Nearly 80 Percent

The on-time performance of the nation's largest airlines improved in 2010 compared to the previous year, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), shows that the 18 largest carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 79.8 percent for January through December 2010, an improvement on 2009's 79.5 percent on-time arrival rate. During December 2010, these carriers posted an on-time performance rate of 72.0 percent, equal to the 72.0 percent on-time rate recorded in December 2009, but down from November 2010's 83.2 percent rate.

The monthly report also includes data on chronically delayed flights, lengthy tarmac delays, flight cancellations, and the causes of flight delays filed with the Department by the reporting carriers. In addition, the report contains information on airline bumping, reports of mishandled baggage filed by consumers with the carriers, and consumer service, disability and discrimination complaints received by DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division.

In December, the airlines who file on-time data with the Department reported three domestic flights with tarmac delays of more than three hours, down from 34 in December 2009. Data filed with BTS showed there have been only 15 total tarmac delays of more than three hours reported from May through December 2010 by the 18 airlines that file on-time performance data with DOT, compared to 584 during the same eight-month period of 2009. In December, the carriers also reported that .0600 percent of their scheduled flights had tarmac delays of two hours or more, up from .0200 percent in November.

December was the eighth full month of data since the new aviation consumer rule went into effect on April 29, 2010. The new rule prohibits U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac at a large or medium hub airport for more than three hours without deplaning passengers, with exceptions allowed only for safety or security or if air traffic control advises the pilot in command that returning to the terminal would disrupt airport operations. The Department will investigate tarmac delays that exceed this limit.

The Department has also issued a rulemaking that would significantly strengthen the protection afforded to passengers stranded on the ground aboard aircraft for lengthy periods. In a June 2010 notice of proposed rulemaking, the Department proposed to increase the number of carriers that are required to adopt tarmac delay contingency plans to include foreign air carriers and proposed to increase the number of airports at which carriers must adhere to such plans to include U.S. small and non-hub airports. In addition, the Department proposed to require all carriers that must adopt tarmac delay contingency plans to file data with the Department regarding lengthy tarmac delays. The Department expects to issue a final rule as early as April 2011, which will consider all the comments received as well as the lengthy tarmac delays experienced by a number of foreign carriers at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) during and after the Dec. 26, 2010, blizzard and the resulting impact on passengers traveling on those flights.

During December, when large parts of the country experienced severe winter weather, the carriers canceled 3.7 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, compared to 2.8 percent in December 2009 and 0.7 percent in November 2010. The number of canceled flights with tarmac delays of more than two hours increased only slightly, from 251 between May and December 2009 to 266 between May and December 2010. There were 25 canceled flights with tarmac delays of more than two hours in December 2010, down from 27 in December 2009.

At the end of December, there was only one flight that was chronically delayed – more than 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time – for three consecutive months. There were an additional six flights that were chronically delayed for two consecutive months. There were no chronically delayed flights for four consecutive months or more. A list of flights that were chronically delayed for a single month is available from BTS.

"The release of today's (Thursday's) data by DOT confirms that the 3 Hour Rule and the Regulatory Passenger Bill of Rights is actually making commercial airlines more efficient—so these vitally important protections are not only common sense—they make good economic sense also," Kate Hanni said. "Any day now, the U.S. House will package together the FAA Reauthorization bill – when they do, it's essential that the rules passed by DOT are made permanent by legislation as rules and regulations can be easily tweaked and changed—laws cannot."

FMI: www.bts.gov