AIRLINES

Southwest Wins Performance Sweeps: The Transportation Department reported that Southwest Airlines had the best overall performance among major U.S. airlines in July. The airline topped the list for on-time arrivals for the second consecutive month and for baggage handling while receiving the fewest consumer complaints. However, the airline registered the worst record for overbooking. Southwest flew 94.4% of its flights on time during July. America West was second with 89.8%, and Alaska Airlines was third with 86.4%. USAir had the worst on-time record for the month with only 74.9% of its flights arriving on schedule. Overall, 79.8% of flights by the 10 major U.S. carriers were on time in July, compared to 81.0% in June, the department said. A flight is considered on time if it gets to its destination within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival.