On Time Performance

Waiting for the bus at Normandie and Slauson avenues late one night, Betrona Casileo was getting nervous. Thirty minutes. Forty minutes. Still no bus. "At night, it's very dangerous," said Casileo, who is 52 and has been riding Metro buses for 15 years. "I was just hoping the bus would come." It did -- eventually. Casileo isn't the only frustrated passenger.

Pinnacle Airlines Corp. shares fell after the carrier disclosed that Delta Air Lines Inc. planned to cancel its flying contract with the regional carrier because of persistent late arrivals. Pinnacle called the move against it by Delta "wrongful," saying its on-time performance had been hurt by factors beyond its control. Pinnacle, based in Memphis, Tenn., said it planned to pursue "appropriate remedies," though it wasn't more specific. The move by Delta would affect nearly 5% of the fleet maintained by Pinnacle, which operates the Pinnacle airline and Colgan Air.

Regarding "An Open and Shut Suitcase? Hardly" (Travel Q&A, June 27): A $24.48 luggage repair claim? A missing zipper tab? Does life owe you a favor or what? These are normal problems in the life of a traveler, and someone has to pay. Accept the small price for getting out there and living a full life. It's a very small price to accept for the high level of security we've demanded and are getting. Transportation Security Administration workers are capable of handling the highest pressures and on-time performance.

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.

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.

On-time performance for all airlines st Southern California airports in July* ON-TIME ON-TIME AIRPORT ARRIVAL RATE DEPARTURE RATE Los Angeles International 85.5% 91.8% Burbank 95.1 97.9 Ontario 92.4 96.6 Orange County 86.9 94.6 San Diego 89.3 94.7 *On-time performance by airlines at Los Angeles International Airport for July.** AIRLINE ON-TIME ARRIVAL RATE Southwest 95.3% Alaska 94.5 USAir 90.8 Delta 85.0 America West 84.4 United 84.2 Continental 80.7 American 78.1 Northwest 75.5 TWA 66.

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%)

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.

Major airlines were behind schedule more often from January through July this year than they were in the same period last year. The Transportation Department said the on-time arrival rate dropped to 78% from 82% a year earlier. "On time" is defined as within 15 minutes of schedule. The Federal Aviation Administration aims for an 82% on-time rate throughout the commercial aviation system.