U.S. airlines are reporting the best industry on-time performance and the lowest rate of mishandled bags for any January, Airlines for America (A4A) says.
Citing the Department of Transportation (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report released today, A4A said 83.7 percent of flights arrived within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival time in January 2012.
The performance marked the all-time record for any January since DOT began keeping on-time statistics in 1988. The previous January record of 83.3 percent was set in 2003, A4A says.
“Our members are improving their operations, demonstrating their commitment to a better customer experience, built on the foundation of getting passengers to their destinations safely and on time.” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio.
Calio said the airlines continue to work with the FAA on advanced air traffic control procedures, leveraging NextGen technology that will enable airlines to further reduce congestion and delays for customers.
The January 2012 on-time results follows a record performance at the end of 2011. For the fourth quarter of 2011, U.S. airlines recorded an 85.07 percent on-time arrival rate, the best ever for any fourth quarter, A4A said.
Also in January 2012, there were 3.30 reports of mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, an all-time low for any January. This record represents 21 percent improvement from the previous record set in January 2011. The statistic also shows that nearly 99.7 percent of U.S. airline passengers had their bags delivered on time, A4A says.
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