OAG Travel News

U.S. airlines' on-time arrival rate in July was the highest for the month in four years as carriers had less traffic and reported fewer plane-scheduling snags.

The 75.7 percent rate rose from 69.8 percent a year earlier, the Transportation Department said today in Washington. The last time July was better was in 2004, when 76 percent of flights were within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival.

Carriers have cut the number of flights this year 2.7 percent amid high fuel prices and a slowing economy, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Late-arriving aircraft from a previous flight, the largest cause of delays in July 2007, fell to 7.2 percent from 9.9 percent.

"There are fewer and fewer flights to choose from as carriers continue to cut costs," Jim Elwood, chairman of the American Association of Airport Executives, told reporters today. "Passengers will have fewer travel options this fall."

Airlines' on-time rate was 73.7 percent through the first seven months of this year, compared with 72.2 percent for that same period in 2007. So far 2008 is the third worst for delays in the 14 years comparable records have been kept.

Delta Air Lines' Comair commuter airline had the worst on-time rate for July, at 63.3 percent, followed by JetBlue Airways Corp. at 64.6 percent.

Another commuter carrier, Pinnacle Airlines Corp., had the best, 85.6 percent, followed by Hawaiian Holdings' Hawaiian Airlines at 83.6 percent.

Houston-based Continental Airlines and ExpressJet were in the middle of the pack, each with a 76.1 percent on-time arrival rate. Southwest Airlines, which dominates traffic at Houston's Hobby Airport, ranked third in July and first among big carriers with an 83.1 percent on-time arrival rate.

New York's three major airports were the most congested in July. New York's John F. Kennedy had an on-time arrival rate of 57.4 percent, followed by New York's LaGuardia at 58.4 percent and Newark, New Jersey's Liberty International Airport at 59.5 percent.

Source: www.bloomberg.com