Airline On-Time Performance, Cancellation Rate in February Improve from Last Year; Mishandled Baggage Rate at All-Time Low
No Tarmac Delays Longer than Three Hours on Domestic Flights or Longer than Four Hours on International Flights in February
The nation's largest airlines posted an on-time arrival rate of 86.2 percent in February, up from both the 74.5 percent on-time rate of February 2011 and from January 2012's 83.7 percent rate, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Travel Consumer Report released yesterday. The on-time arrival performance during February 2012 was the highest February percentage on record since comparable on-time data was first reported in 1995.
In addition, the reporting airlines compiled a mishandled baggage rate of 2.64 reports per 1,000 passengers, the lowest rate for any month since carriers first reported this data in September 1987.
Cancellations were also down in February from a year ago, as carriers canceled 1.0 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, down from February 2011's 4.9 percent cancellation rate and down from January 2012's 1.5 percent.
Airlines reported no tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights or tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights in February.
The larger U.S. airlines have been required to file complete reports on their long tarmac delays for domestic flights since October 2008. Under a new rule that took effect August 23, 2011, all U.S. and foreign airlines operating at least one aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats must report lengthy tarmac delays at U.S. airports.
Also beginning August 23, carriers operating international flights may not allow tarmac delays at U.S. airports to last longer than four hours. There is a separate three-hour limit on tarmac delays involving domestic flights, which went into effect in April 2010.
Exceptions to the time limits for both domestic and international flights are allowed only for safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons.
The monthly report also includes data on on-time performance, chronically delayed flights, flight cancellations, and the causes of flight delays filed with the Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by the reporting carriers. In addition, the report contains information on 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 U.S. carriers.
A news release on the report is available at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2012/dot4012.html . The full report is available at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/reports/index.htm . Detailed information on flight delays is available at http://www.bts.gov .