DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
U.S. airlines' on-time and baggage-handling performance improved
again in April, the U.S. Department of Transportation said
Thursday.
Air traffic has been easing in recent months as carriers
continue to cut back capacity amid slack demand.
Regional carrier Comair Ltd. (COM.JO) had the worst on-time
performance in April at 68.6%, while Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s (HA)
Hawaiian Airlines again had the best, with a 91.1% rate. SkyWest
Inc. (SKYW) Atlantic Southeast Airlines posted the second-worst
on-time arrival rate in the month at 69.4%, while Continental
Airlines Inc. (CAL) was third-worst at 72%.
The DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the 19
carriers reporting on-time performance had an overall rate of
79.1%, up from 77.7% a year earlier and 78.4% in March. The agency
said the carriers canceled 1.5% of their scheduled flights, down
from 1.7% a year earlier and 2.1% in March.
A flight is counted as "on time" if it operated less than 15
minutes after the scheduled time shown in the carriers'
computerized reservation systems.
The most frequently delayed flight for the month was Northwest
Airlines 803 from Atlanta to Honolulu, which was late 96.6% of the
time. Northwest is now a unit of Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL).
Salt Lake City's airport had the best on-time arrival
performance, while Newark, N.J., again had the worst, the BTS
said.
Meanwhile, the industry had a rate of mishandled baggage of 3.79
per 1,000 passengers in April, down from 4.99 in April 2008 and
4.12 in March. The DOT also received 781 complaints in April, down
from 1,112 year earlier but up from 705 in March.
The cost per gallon of airline fuel slumped 43% to $1.74 a
gallon, but rose 5.4% from March.
-By Jay Miller, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2331;
jay.miller@dowjones.com