DOT Report Shows Weather As Greatest Cause of Airline
Delays
The Department of
Transportation (DOT) has released, for the first
time, monthly data on the causes of airline delays,
showing that weather in October was a major factor in flight delays
by larger U.S. airlines.
Of the nearly 550,000 flights operated in October by the
reporting carriers, almost 1,700 were delayed by extreme weather
which interfered with flight operations, and more than 13,000 were
delayed by weather that prevented the aviation system from
operating at full capacity. Other flights were delayed when the
previous flight using the same aircraft was delayed by weather and
other causes.
The new data will benefit consumers by providing more
information about the cause of flight delays and making them more
knowledgeable about how the U.S. aviation system works and what
causes problems in the system. It also will provide DOT with useful
data which can be monitored to ensure that passengers are being
provided accurate information by airlines and that airlines are
realistically scheduling their flights.
A monthly summary of
the carriers’ reports on the causes of delays starting with
October is included in the department’s monthly Air Travel
Consumer Report. The report also includes data on cancellations,
reports of mishandled baggage filed with the carriers, and airline
service, disability and discrimination complaints received by
DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division.
Collection of data on causes of delays was mandated by the
Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st
Century, signed in April 2000, in order to provide consumers with
better information about the nature of delays. A DOT advisory
committee developed recommendations that provided the basis of BTS
regulations requiring the carriers to report on the causes of
delays.
In October, the 17 airlines that file data on flight delays
reported that 86.4 percent of their flights arrived on time.
For those flights that arrived late, the carriers reported these
numbers for five categories:
- 5.43 percent of flights were affected by aviation system
delays. A total of 57.6 percent of these delays were attributable
to weather conditions, such as the re-routing of flights by
DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in collaboration
with the carriers. The remaining delays were due to causes such as
airport operations, heavy traffic volume and air traffic
control.
- 3.49 percent were delayed by circumstances within the
airline’s control, such as maintenance or crew problems.
- 3.29 percent were delayed due to the previous flight being
delayed, causing the present flight to depart late – another
category in which weather is an indirect factor.
- 0.30 percent of flights were delayed by extreme weather –
in which the airline decided to delay the flight due to significant
meteorological conditions, actual or forecast, that in the judgment
of the carrier delayed or prevented the operation of the
flight.
- 0.05 percent were delayed for security reasons, such as by the
evacuation of a terminal or concourse, re-boarding of aircraft
because of a security breach, inoperative screening equipment and
long lines causing waits in excess of 29 minutes at screening
areas.
The information on the BTS site further details the extent to
which weather is a cause of aviation system delays. The department
noted that the percentage of delays and their causes will vary from
month to month.
Flight Delays
According to
information filed with BTS, the 17 carriers reporting on-time
performance posted an 86.4 percent on-time arrival record in
October, an improvement over September’s 85.6 percent rate
and the third best monthly performance since DOT began collecting
comparable on-time reports in 1995. JetBlue Airways had the highest
on-time rate in October at 90.4 percent.
Flight Cancellations
The report also includes BTS data on the number of domestic
flights canceled by the reporting carriers. In October, the
carriers canceled 0.9 percent of their scheduled domestic flights,
down from September’s 1.4 percent cancellation rate.
Mishandled Baggage
The 17 U.S. carriers reporting flight delays and mishandled
baggage data posted a mishandled baggage rate of 3.23 reports per
1,000 passengers in October, slightly higher than September’s
3.17 rate.
Complaints About Airline Service
DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division received 398
complaints from consumers about airline service in October, down
23.8 percent from the 522 complaints filed in October 2002 and 13.5
percent fewer than the total of 460 received in September 2003.
Complaints About Treatment of Disabled Passengers
The report also contains a tabulation of complaints filed with
DOT in October against specific airlines regarding the treatment of
passengers with disabilities. The department received a total of 34
disability-related complaints in October, 38.2 percent fewer than
the 55 filed in October 2002 and 17.1 percent fewer than the 41
recorded in September 2003.
Complaints About Discrimination
In October, the department received six complaints alleging
discrimination by airlines due to factors other than disability
– such as race, religion, national origin or sex –
identical to the total for October 2002 and down one-third from the
nine received in September 2003.