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DOT 23-04
Contact: Bill Mosley, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Tuesday, March 2,
2004
Flight Delays Show Increase in January
Flight delays as reported by the nation’s largest airlines increased in January,
according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT).
According to information filed with the department’s Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS), the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an
overall on-time arrival rate of 74.9 percent in January, down from both January
2003’s 83.4 percent and December 2003’s 76.0 percent. A total of 17 carriers
filed on-time performance reports in January 2003 and 18 in December.
The monthly report also includes data on the causes of flight delays, as well as
information on flight cancellations, reports of mishandled baggage filed with
the carriers, and consumer service, disability and discrimination complaints
received by DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division.
Causes of Flight Delays
In January, the carriers filing on-time performance reported that 9.24 percent
of their flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 9.13
percent in December; 5.73 percent by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 6.32
percent in December; 5.56 percent by factors within the airline’s control, such
as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 5.43 percent in December; 1.35
percent by extreme weather, compared to 0.76 percent in December; and 0.07
percent for security reasons, compared to 0.08 percent in December. The
department noted that weather is a factor not only in the extreme-weather
category, but also in the aviation-system category – which includes
delays due to the re-routing of flights by DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration
in
consultation with the carriers involved – and the late-arriving aircraft
category. Airlines first began reporting causes of delays in June 2003.
Flight Delays Show Increase in January
ADD ONE
Flight Cancellations
The consumer report also includes BTS data on the number of domestic flights
canceled by the reporting carriers. In January, the carriers canceled 3.0
percent of their scheduled domestic flights, up from December 2003’s 2.1 percent
cancellation rate.
Mishandled Baggage
The U.S. carriers reporting flight delay and mishandled baggage data posted a
mishandled baggage rate of 5.91 reports per 1,000 passengers in January, up from
January 2003’s 4.97 rate and slightly higher than December 2003’s 5.69.
Complaints About Airline Service
In January, the department received 679 complaints about airline service from
consumers, 2.2 percent fewer than the 694 received in January 2003 but 45.4
percent more than the total of 467 filed in December 2003.
Complaints About Treatment of Disabled Passengers
The report also contains a tabulation of complaints filed with DOT in January
against specific airlines regarding the treatment of passengers with
disabilities. The department received a total of 45 disability-related
complaints in January, 50 percent more than the total of 30 filed in January
2003 and two-thirds more than the 27 received in December 2003.
Complaints About Discrimination
In January, the department received 11 complaints alleging discrimination by
airlines due to factors other than disability – such as race, religion, national
origin or sex – down 15.4 percent from the total of 13 received in January 2003
but more than double the total of five recorded in December 2003.
Consumers may file their complaints in writing with the Aviation Consumer
Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, Room 4107, 400 7th
St., S.W., Washington, DC 20590; by e-mail at
airconsumer@ost.dot.gov; by voice
mail at (202) 366-2220 or by TTY at (202) 366-0511.
Consumers who want on-time performance data for specific flights should call
their airline ticket offices or their travel agents. This information is
available on the computerized reservation systems used by these agents. Detailed
information on flight delays and their causes is available on the BTS site on
the World Wide Web at http://www.bts.gov.
The Air Travel Consumer Report can be found on DOT’s World Wide Web site at
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov. It
is available in “pdf” and Microsoft Word format.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FACTS
AIR TRAVEL CONSUMER REPORT
JANUARY 2004
KEY ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND FLIGHT CANCELLATION STATISTICS
Based on Data Filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics
by the 19 Reporting Carriers
Overall
74.9 percent on-time arrivals
Highest On-Time Arrival Rates
1. Hawaiian Airlines – 87.3 percent
2. Southwest Airlines – 83.5 percent
3. Atlantic Southeast Airlines – 81.5 percent
Lowest On-Time Arrival Rates
1. Atlantic Coast Airlines – 64.8 percent
2. American Eagle Airlines – 65.7 percent
3. Alaska Airlines – 67.7 percent
Most Frequently Delayed Flights
1. Alaska Airlines flight 211 from Los Angeles to Seattle – late 93.55
percent of the time
2. SkyWest Airlines flight 6816 from Fort Wayne, IN to Chicago O’Hare –
late 92.00 percent of the time
2. Atlantic Coast Airlines flight 7406 from Lexington, KY to Chicago
O’Hare – late 92.00 percent of the time
2. SkyWest Airlines flight 4110 from Salt Lake City to Idaho Falls, ID –
late 92.00 percent of the time
5. Delta Air Lines flight 2042 from Cincinnati to Chicago O’Hare – late
91.67 percent of the time
Highest Rates of Canceled Flights
1. Alaska Airlines – 7.7 percent
2. Atlantic Coast Airlines – 6.8 percent
3. American Eagle Airlines – 6.5 percent
Lowest Rates of Canceled Flights
1. JetBlue Airways – 0.4 percent
2. Hawaiian Airlines – 0.7 percent
3. Continental Airlines – 1.0 percent
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