Airlines’ On-Time Record Dived to New Low in 2000

The government confirmed Thursday that last year was the worst on record for air travel delays and the head of the nation’s largest business group immediately demanded improvements.

Department of Transportation statistics showed that airlines had an overall on-time record of 72.6% in 2000--the lowest since 1995, when the government began collecting such data. That means that about three of every 10 flights were delayed.

Meanwhile, travelers’ complaints filed with the government rose by 14% to 23,381.

Thomas J. Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, declared that problems in the air traffic system have reached the point where they threaten the economy. He vowed to make the issue a top lobbying priority for the powerful business coalition.

“Blame rests squarely on the shoulders of extreme environmentalists and cowardly governments at every level,” Donohue told a Washington “Aviation Summit” convened by the chamber. “Government has failed to make critical investments in the air travel system. It’s taking our aviation system down the same path it took California’s energy system.”

The Federal Aviation Administration released figures Thursday that indicate gridlock is largely concentrated at major airports on the East Coast, contrary to the widely held perception that the entire air travel system is mired in slowdowns.

Five airports accounted for 37% of the 450,289 delays and 10 airports accounted for 53%. Of the top five, three are on the East Coast and, of the top 10, six. There are more than 560 airports in the country that handle commercial airliner flights.

San Francisco International was the only California airport to make the top 10 list for delays, while Los Angeles International ranked 12th. Other California airports to make the list of the top 55 were San Diego, which ranked 31st; San Jose, which ranked 34th; and Ontario, which ranked 50th.

Chicago’s O’Hare International had the highest number of delays--49,202--but New Jersey’s Newark International had the highest rate of delays when the volume of flights was taken into account.

“The delay and congestion challenge is highly concentrated,” said Steven Brown, head of the FAA’s air traffic services. “The good news is there are a few places that are very difficult. The bad news is that everybody wants to fly there.”

A recent study by the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, a Virginia-based technical think tank, found that delays at a very busy East Coast airport can have a ripple effect hundreds of miles away.

The center analyzed what happened when 15 aircraft approaching Newark were placed in holding patterns early one evening because of local congestion. It found that, within 20 minutes, an estimated 250 aircraft--some as far away as Minneapolis--had been affected. Some of those planes, however, may have been able to make up lost time in flight.

Donohue endorsed building more runways, accelerating technological modernization of the air traffic system and revamping management of the FAA to make it more responsive.

But the Chamber of Commerce president stopped short of demanding that the FAA be converted into a privately run entity--a position some business leaders have taken.

Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey were scheduled to address the conference today. Garvey has worked to mitigate delays by improving daily planning between the FAA and airlines. But she has repeatedly said there is no quick fix and has warned that efforts to push the system could cause safety problems.

Mineta, confirmed by the Senate last week, is widely respected as an aviation expert and has indicated that he wants to speed construction of more runways and take an active role in recruiting top talent for unfilled senior FAA positions in air traffic management and technology.

The release of the air travel figures comes as the Bush administration is proposing to speed construction of new runways by expediting environmental reviews. Environmentalists worried about air and noise pollution already have expressed concerns about the proposal.

In addition to the Department of Transportation numbers, statistics released by the FAA also verified that delays got worse last year, growing by 20%. Bad weather accounted for nearly 70% of all delays in 2000, a year that saw particularly heavy summer thunderstorms.

Air traffic controllers have blamed the airlines for contributing to delays by scheduling too many flights during peak travel times. The FAA numbers showed that delays attributed to the volume of traffic rose by 42% last year, accounting for 14% of all delays.

Some experts believe that charging the airlines higher takeoff and landing fees during peak hours would alleviate delays by forcing carriers to drop flights that are not profitable.