MEDIA RELEASE

The nation’s largest airlines had a rate of on-time flights this past March that was higher than the same month last year and the rate posted in February 2010, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the 18 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 80.0 percent in March, better than the 78.4 percent on-time rate of March 2009 and February 2010’s 74.6 percent.

The monthly report also includes data on lengthy tarmac delays, flight cancellations and the causes of flight delays by the reporting carriers, as well as information on airline bumping, reports of mishandled baggage filed with the carriers, 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 U.S. carriers.

Cancellations

The consumer report includes BTS data on the number of domestic flights canceled by the reporting carriers. In March, the carriers canceled 1.5 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, a lower rate than the 2.1 percent cancellation rate of March 2009 and the 5.5 percent rate posted in February 2010.

Tarmac Delays
In March, the carriers filing on-time performance data reported that .005 percent of their scheduled flights had tarmac delays of three hours or more, down from .013 percent in February. There were four flights with tarmac delays of four hours or more in March.

The Air Travel Consumer Report can be found on DOT’s World Wide Web site at http://airconsumer.dot.gov. It is available in “pdf” and Microsoft Word format.

Facts

AIR TRAVEL CONSUMER REPORT
March 2010

KEY ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND FLIGHT CANCELLATION STATISTICS
Based on Data Filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics by the 18 Reporting Carriers

Overall

80.0 percent on-time arrivals

Highest On-Time Arrival Rates

1. Hawaiian Airlines – 90.2 percent
2. Alaska Airlines – 87.3 percent
3. Pinnacle Airlines – 84.2 percent

Lowest On-Time Arrival Rates

1. JetBlue Airways – 72.1 percent
2. ExpressJet Airlines – 75.1 percent
3. American Airlines – 76.1 percent

Most Frequently Delayed Flights

1. Southwest Airlines flight 1142 from Baltimore to New York LaGuardia – late 100.0 percent of the time
2. Southwest Airlines flight 1229 from New York LaGuardia to Chicago Midway – late 93.75 percent of the time
2. Southwest Airlines flight 1138 from Denver to Kansas City, MO – late 93.75 percent of the time
4. Southwest Airlines flight 1599 from Baltimore to New York LaGuardia – late 87.50 percent of the time
4. Southwest Airlines flight 1925 from Baltimore to Hartford, CT – late 87.50 percent of the time
4. Southwest Airlines flight 2585 from Houston Hobby to Albuquerque, NM – late 87.50 percent of the time
4. Southwest Airlines flight 3922 from Houston Hobby to Austin, TX – late 87.50 percent of the time

Flights with Longest Tarmac Delays

1. American Airlines flight 160 from San Diego to New York JFK, 3/13/10 – delayed on tarmac 300 minutes
2. SkyWest Airlines flight 6530 from Denver to Birmingham, AL, 3/23/10 – delayed on tarmac 272 minutes
3. American Airlines flight 24 from San Francisco to New York JFK, 3/13/10 – delayed on tarmac 261 minutes
4. SkyWest Airlines flight 6136 from Denver to Appleton, WI, 3/23/10 – delayed on tarmac 241 minutes

(There were only four flights with tarmac delays of four hours or more in March)

Highest Rates of Canceled Flights

1. Comair – 3.4 percent
2. Atlantic Southeast Airlines – 2.9 percent
3. JetBlue Airways – 2.8 percent

Lowest Rates of Canceled Flights

1. Hawaiian Airlines – 0.0 percent
2. Continental Airlines – 0.2 percent
3. Alaska Airlines – 0.5 percent