On-time Record of Airlines in November Goes Up

15 of the biggest names in the U.S. airlines were on time a bit more often in the month of November, says the government. The Transportation Department reported on Thursday that 85.7% of the flights from the biggest airlines maintained perfect timing a couple of months back. Previously, it was 85.3% in 2011 during the same time. October was not too good at 80.25 as Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc and messed up schedules.

American Airlines did poorly with one in 5 flights running late, whereas Hawaiian Airlines performed the best, with AirTran Airways and Delta Air Lines close behind. 1% of domestic flights were canceled, which is up from 0.7% in November 2011. Considering 29 of the busiest airports in the country, 28% of arrivals were late in San Francisco. For the first 11 months of 2012, Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport was last. Phoenix’s Sky Harbor did very well in November with 90.95 of on-time arrivals, whereas Salt Lake City was spot on for the first 11 months.

Due to a snowstorm on November in the New York area, two planes had to be detained on the tarmac longer than allowed by federal rules. One belonged to Delta and the 2^nd was from British Airways. The Transportation Department is investigating both cases closely as hefty fines can be imposed on airlines for such delays.

Less than 3 in 1,000 travelers complained about bags being lost, damaged or delayed in November, about the same rate as a year earlier. United Airlines registered the most complaints whereas American. Passengers on Southwest Airlines were least likely to report issues. Complaints went up by 12.85 overall, thereby coming to 987.