DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
U.S. airlines' on-time performance improved in March, the
Department of Transportation said Tuesday, and the rate of
mishandled bags fell, though complaints rose.
The DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the 19
carriers reporting on-time arrivals had an overall rate of 80%, up
from 78.4% a year earlier and 74.6% in February. A flight is
counted as "on time" if it operated less than 15 minutes after the
scheduled time shown in the carriers' computerized reservation
system.
Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s (HA) Hawaiian Airlines continued to
have the best on-time percentage, coming in at 90.2% for March,
followed by Alaska Air Group Inc.'s (ALK) Alaska Airlines. JetBlue
Airways Corp. (JBLU) had the worst on-time arrival rate at 72.1%,
with ExpressJet Holdings Inc. (XJT) next at 75.1%.
The agency also said carriers canceled 1.5% of their scheduled
flights, compared with 2.1% a year earlier and 5.5% in
February.
A decline in travel because of the recession prompted airlines
to cut capacity, which has made airports and the skies less
crowded. That reduces flight delays and cancellations when bad
weather or other problems occur.
The most frequently delayed trip for March was Delta Airlines
Inc.'s (DAL) flight 1142 from Baltimore to New York's LaGuardia
Airport, which was late 100% of the time.
Meanwhile, the industry had a mishandled baggage rate of 3.72
per 1,000 passengers in March, down from 4.23 a year earlier and
February's 4.01 rate. The DOT also received 961 overall complaints
in March, compared with 708 and 769, respectively.
The drop in travel demand also led many carriers to impose new
fees for checked luggage. As fewer travelers check bags, airlines
are less exposed to the risk of mishandling them.
-By Matt Jarzemsky, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2240;
matthew.jarzemsky@dowjones.com