On Time Performance

On-time performance for all airlines at Southern California airports in November* Airport On-Time Arrival Rate On-time Departure Rate Los Angeles International 75.3% 84.3% Burbank 86.1 88.8 Ontario 84.6 90.6 Orange County 79.2 86.7 San Diego 78.9 87.5 * On-time arrival performance by airline at Los Angles International Airport for November** On-time arrival rate: Southwest: 86.3% Alaska: 79.2 Northwest: 78.9 America West: 78.5 United: 76.3 Delta: 72.0 American: 70.5 USAir: 68.5 Continental: 65.

On-time performance of airlines at the nation's biggest airports dropped 9 percentage points Monday after hundreds of air traffic controllers were furloughed by budget cuts. East Coast airports felt most of the pain, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Staff shortages at air traffic towers were expected to cause more delays Tuesday in Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas. "Travelers can expect to see a wide range of delays that will change throughout the day depending on staffing and weather-related issues," the agency said in a statement.

U.S. airlines' on-time performance in November was the worst in six years, resulting in more service and baggage-related complaints, U.S. government data show. Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a unit of SkyWest Inc., ranked last among the 20 carriers tracked by the Transportation Department, with only 65.7% of its flights arriving no more than 14 minutes later than scheduled. Industrywide, 76.5% of flights were on time, the worst performance in November since 2000.

Despite predictions by federal officials that deep budget cuts would lead to long wait times at the nation's airports, airline on-time performance did not change significantly during the busy spring break period. But the cuts brought about by the so-called sequestration did force government agencies to slash travel spending by as much as 30% in March, lowering revenue for the nation's airlines. When a budget battle between Congress and the Obama administration boiled over in February, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano predicted that job furloughs and cuts in overtime pay to airport screeners and customs officers would result in gridlock and airport wait times growing by an hour or more.

After a marked improvement in on-time performance, Metrolink train service slipped slightly in October, with 22% of the trains from Los Angeles to Ventura County arriving late. Metrolink service to Ventura County has been plagued by delays, due in large part to aging tracks and a dispatching system that favors freight trains over commuter service, a Metrolink spokesman said. The Transportation Commission Friday agreed to continue pressing for better on-time performance from the train service.

Recently, I was flying to New York from Los Angeles. American Airlines Flight 10 left LAX at 10 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at New York's JFK Airport at 6:07 the next morning. But when the "red eye" landed at 6, the pilot anounced, "Will the flight attendants please prepare for an early arrival?" My question: Early compared to what? Ten years ago, the same flight, flying at the same time, was scheduled to arrive in New York at 5:44 a.m.

The nation's airlines generated more complaints and denied passengers seats at a higher rate in 2012 but improved their on-time performance and lost bags at a lower rate. Those were among the key findings of an annual study on airline service released Monday by professors at Wichita State University and Purdue University. The study looked at several key airline statistics monitored by federal agencies and weighted them based on what services experts believe are most important to air travelers.

U.S. airlines' on-time performance and baggage handling improved in September, though the carriers overall posted a higher rate of domestic cancellations compared with the same month last year, the Transportation Department said. Delta Air Lines Inc.'s regional subsidiary, Comair, had the worst on-time performance in September, and Hawaiian Airlines had the best.

The nation's airlines generated more complaints and denied passengers seats at a higher rate in 2012 but improved their on-time performance and lost bags at a lower rate. Those were among the key findings of an annual study on airline service released Monday by professors at Wichita State University and Purdue University. The study looked at several key airline statistics monitored by federal agencies and weighted them based on what services experts believe are most important to air travelers.

Time is money. In the case of United Airlines, it equates to $100. The Chicago-based airline announced Tuesday that it plans to reward many of its front-line employees $100 each for helping the carrier reach an on-time arrival rate of at least 80% for domestic and international flights in January. The airline ended the month with an 82.8% domestic on-time arrival rate and an 80.5% international on-time rate, resulting in the best combined performance for the month in 10 years.

While Superstorm Sandy forced the cancellation of thousands of flights in late October and early November, the on-time performance of those planes that took to the air did not drop dramatically. The on-time performance of the nation's largest airlines dropped to 80% in October, compared with 85.5% in October 2011, according to statistics released Tuesday by the U.S Department of Transportation. The worst on-time rates this October were turned in by American Airlines (68%), JetBlue (74%)

If you're having a hard time finding short-haul flights to small and medium-size cities, it's not your imagination. A new study by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation concluded that the elimination of thousands of flights of less than 500 miles is one result of the airline industry's efforts to prosper in the face of higher fuel costs and economic turbulence in the last few years. Another strategy airlines have used to rebound from the dismal financial times that followed the Sept.

Time finally may be on United Airlines' side as the carrier's executives, staunch proponents of consolidation, again explore a merger. The underlying financial dynamics of the airline industry have greatly improved since 2008, when Chicago-based United and other U.S. carriers last engaged in the aviation equivalent of speed-dating, analysts said. And United has made itself a more attractive partner by cutting costs and paying greater attention to details such as its on-time performance.

U.S. airlines in June turned in their worst on-time performance since December, the Transportation Department said. The airlines had a combined on-time arrival rate of 76.1%, compared with 80.5% in May and 65.3% in December. They did have fewer delayed flights this June than in the same month last year. Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance in June. Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines Inc., had the worst. Among the so-called legacy carriers, Continental Airlines Inc. reported the fewest delays and American Airlines the most.

Airlines are still crowded, in-flight service is marginal and there are fewer flights to choose from. But, hey, at least planes are increasingly on time. With a lower number of flights overall, U.S. airlines posted their best on-time performance since 2003 for the first five months of this year, with fewer delays and cancellations. Complaints about airline service and incidents of mishandled baggage fell sharply as well, according to the latest data compiled by the U.S.