Detailed Monthly Air Travel Consumer Report Released By DOT

Flights operated by the nation's largest airlines arrived on time at a higher rate this past September than in either September of last year or in August 2008, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released Friday by the US Department of Transportation.

According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 84.9 percent in September, higher than both September 2007's 81.7 percent and August 2008's 78.4 percent.

The monthly report also includes data on flight cancellations and the causes of flight delays, as well as information on reports of mishandled baggage filed with the carriers, airline bumping and consumer service, disability and discrimination complaints received by DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division.  This report also includes reports of incidents involving pets traveling by air, as required to be filed by US carriers.

The consumer report includes BTS data on the number of domestic flights canceled by the reporting carriers. In September, the carriers canceled 1.8 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, a higher rate than both the 1.1 percent cancellation rate of September 2008 and the 1.6 percent rate posted in August 2008.

In September, the carriers filing on-time performance data reported that 5.10 percent of their flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 6.68 percent in August; 3.62 percent by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 6.32 percent in August; 4.02 percent by factors within the airline's control, such as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 5.82 percent in August; 0.40 percent by extreme weather, compared to 0.82 percent in August; and 0.02 percent for security reasons, compared to 0.04 percent in August.

Detailed information on flight delays and their causes is available on the BTS site.

FMI: www.bts.gov