More Flights Cancelled, But Customer Complaints Decrease
The nation's largest
airlines' rate of on-time flights this past February was lower than
in January, but higher than in the same month last year, while
February flights were cancelled at a higher rate than in January
2008 but at a lower rate than in February 2007, according to the
Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the US 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 20 carriers reporting on-time
performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 68.6
percent in February, up from February 2007's 67.3 percent but below
January 2008's 72.4 percent.
The monthly report also includes data on the causes of flight
delays, as well as information on 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 required to
be filed by US carriers of incidents involving pets traveling by
air.
Causes of Flight Delays
In February, the carriers filing on-time performance data
reported that 9.36 percent of their flights were delayed by
aviation system delays, compared to 8.42 percent in January; 9.74
percent by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 8.41 percent in
January; 7.11 percent by factors within the airline's control, such
as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 6.79 percent in
January; 1.19 percent by extreme weather, compared to 0.88 percent
in January; and 0.05 percent for security reasons, compared to 0.07
percent in January. 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 show 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 February, 46.92 percent of late flights were delayed by weather,
up 22.83 percent from February 2007, when 38.20 percent of late
flights were delayed by weather, and up 7.71 percent from January
when 43.56 percent of late flights were delayed by weather.
Mishandled Baggage
The US carriers
reporting flight delays and mishandled baggage data posted a
mishandled baggage rate of 6.39 reports per 1,000 passengers in
February, an improvement over both February 2007's rate of 8.23 and
January 2008's 7.37 rate.
Incidents Involving Pets
In February, carriers reported one incident involving pets while
traveling by air, down from four incidents in January. The February
incident involved an injured pet.
Complaints About Airline Service
In February, the department received 936 complaints about
airline service from consumers, up 13.3 percent from the 826
complaints filed in February 2007 but down 20.3 percent from the
total of 1,174 received in January 2008.
Ontime Figures
Lamentably, the airline with the highest on-time arrival rate in
February -- Aloha Airlines, with 95.6 percent -- shut down all
operations March 31. Hawaiian Airlines followed in second place,
with 93.1 percent of its flights arriving ontime, with Delta a
distant third at 77.2 percent.
Regional carriers continued to dominate in lowest number
all-time arrivals, with American Eagle and Comair each reporting
just around 61 percent of their flights completed ontime. American
Airlines grabbed the third spot, with a dismal 61.7 of its flights
arriving within 15 minutes of scheduled times in February.
American also laid dubious claim to the second-most-often
delayed flight, 1763 from O'Hare to Orange County, CA -- which was
late 96 percent of the time. JetBlue's Flight 515 from Newark to
FLL claimed "top" honors in the category, arriving late 100 percent
of the time.
Regional operator Mesa Airlines cancelled the most flights in
February, a full 10.6 percent of its schedule, followed by American
Eagle and Comair.