DOT reports July on-time performance

Airline Industry Information, Sept 2, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has reported that the on-time performance of the nation's largest airlines declined in July 2005, while consumer complaints about airline service and reports of mishandled baggage increased.

The results from July were published in the Air Travel Consumer Report.

According to the DOT, the monthly report also includes data on flight cancellations and causes of flight delays, as well as consumer disability and discrimination complaints received by the DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division.

Information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) shows that the 20 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 70.9% for the month, down from 75.9% year-on-year and from the 75.2% reported in June this year. Also in July, the carriers cancelled 2.2% of their scheduled domestic flights, up from the 1.6% posted in both July 2004 and June 2005.

In July, 9.05% of flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 8.23% in June 2005; 8.82% by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 7.26% in June; 7.11% by factors within the airline's control, such as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 6.28% in June; 1.52% by extreme weather, compared to 1.11% in June; and 0.06% for security reasons, compared to 0.05% in June.

While the average was 70.9% on-time arrivals, the best airline for timeliness was Hawaiian Airlines with 96.4%, followed by SkyWest Airlines at 84.2% and Frontier Airlines at 80.6%.

The lowest on-time arrival rates were set by AirTran Airways at 60.0%, JetBlue Airways at 61.5% and Atlantic Southeast Airlines at 61.7%.

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