U.S. Carriers On-Time Rate Climbs for November as Air Travel Declines

Major U.S. carriers, led by AMR Corp.’s Trans World Airlines, completed 84.7% of flights on time in November as fewer travelers boarded planes after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The combined on-time rate of the 11 largest U.S. carriers rose from 72.8% in the year-earlier month but slid from 84.8% in October, the U.S. Department of Transportation said. Airlines laid off workers, canceled flights and asked for U.S. government financial aid to avoid bankruptcy after the attacks reduced air travel.

“There were fewer airline flights, particularly at major hub airports,” Federal Aviation Administration spokesman William Shumann said. “The weather was unusually benign.”

TWA made 87.5% of flights on time, followed by Delta Air Lines Inc. and US Airways Group Inc. at 86.7%. Alaska Air Group Inc.’s Alaska Airlines placed last among the carriers, making 75.9% of flights on time, followed by UAL Corp.’s United Airlines at 80.8%, the agency said. Flight cancellations, mishandled baggage and complaints declined.

Flight delays slid 61.4% to 13,246 in November from 34,365 in November 2000, the FAA said. Delays because of bad weather, the biggest source of slowdowns, fell 63%, while delays because of air traffic fell 73%, the FAA said.

The on-time performance of “the whole industry has improved dramatically” after record delays last year, partly because of fewer fliers and the replacement of jets that needed more maintenance, United spokesman Joe Hopkins said. The carrier made 69.1% of its flights on time in November 2000.

Alaska Air declined to comment. AMR, which stopped using the TWA name on Dec. 2, didn’t immediately return a call. The Transportation Department counts flights as on time if they arrive within 15 minutes of the schedule.

Flight cancellations fell to 1.1% of scheduled flights from 2.3% in November 2000, the agency said. Reports of mishandled baggage slid to 3.82 per 1,000 passengers from 4.96 per 1,000 a year earlier. Complaints fell 62.9% to 516 from 1,390 in November 2000.