Posts April 2018 Data

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released its June 2018 Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on air carrier data compiled for the month of April 2018. The report shows that on-time arrivals increased over April 2017, while cancellations and consumer complaints fell.

In April 2018, the reporting carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 81.3 percent, up from both the 78.5 percent on-time rate in April 2017 and the 80.9 percent mark in March 2018.

Highest On-Time Arrival Rates

• Hawaiian Airlines – 87.7 percent
• Delta Air Lines – 86.4 percent
• Mesa Airlines – 85.1 percent

Lowest On-Time Arrival Rates

• JetBlue Airways – 67.6 percent
• Frontier Airlines – 76.4 percent
• Southwest Airlines – 77.7 percent

In April 2018, the reporting carriers canceled 1.0 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, an improvement over both the 1.6 percent cancellation rate posted in April 2017 and the 2.8 percent rate in March 2018.

Highest Rates of Canceled Flights

• Endeavor Air – 2.6 percent
• Republic Airline – 2.5 percent
• Envoy Air – 2.4 percent

Lowest Rates of Canceled Flights

• Hawaiian Airlines – 0.1 percent
• United Airlines – 0.2 percent
• Delta Air Lines – 0.3 percent

In April 2018, DOT received 1,169 complaints about airline service from consumers, down 38.7 percent from the total of 1,908 filed in April 2017 and down 2.1 percent from the 1,194 received in March 2018.  

In April 2018, airlines reported one tarmac delay of more than three hours on domestic flights, equal to one such tarmac delays reported in March 2018. Alaska Airlines flight 349 from New York JFK to  Seattle-Tacoma, 4/2/18 was delayed 3 hours and 3 minutes on the tarmac at New York JFK. Airlines reported no tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights for the period, equal to no such tarmac delays reported in March 2018.

Other statistics in the report include:

• Mishandled Baggage - In April 2018, the carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 2.39 reports per 1,000 passengers, an improvement over both April 2017’s rate of 2.54 and March 2018’s rate of 2.59.
• Bumping/Oversales - Bumping/oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly.  First quarter 2018 bumping/oversales data were released in the May 2018 Air Travel Consumer Report.  January-June 2018 and second quarter 2018 bumping/oversales data will be available in the August 2018 Air Travel Consumer Report.
• Incidents Involving Animals - In April 2018, U.S. airlines reported one incident involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, equal to the one report filed in April 2017 and down from the three reports filed in March 2018.  April’s incident involved injury to one animal.

(Source: DOT news release)

FMI: Full report