Articles

U.S. AIRLINES REPORTED FEWER FLIGHT DELAYS, CANCELLATIONS AND MISHANDLED BAGS IN APRIL, WHILE CONSUMERS FILED FEWER TOTAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT AIRLINE SERVICE, in April, while consumers filed fewer total complaints about airline service, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. Information filed with department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reveals that the 17 carriers reporting on-time performance posted an average 86.9-percent on-time arrival record in April, better than March’s 82.6-percent rate. Skywest Airlines had the best on-time rate in April at 92.1 percent, followed by Southwest Airlines in second place at 90.8 and Delta Air Lines third at 89.5.

The report also lists regularly scheduled flights that were late at least 80 percent of the time. The report notes that flight delays can be caused by a variety of factors. Current reporting procedures do not require airlines to identify causes of delays. Effective with the June report, carriers will be required to provide that information. The report also contains information regarding flight cancellations, mishandled baggage, complaints about treatment of disabled passengers and complaints about discrimination. To view the full report, visit http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov