US Airlines Plagued By Delays

8th August 2007

US Government figures released this week on the main air carriers show that close to one third of all flights in June 2007 were delayed. This puts the airline companies on-track for the worst track record ever for on-time performance.

While 68 percent of US flights arrived on time, this still represents the 9th-worst month on record since 1995, when the Department of Transportation first started to keep records.

Between January and June this year, more than 909,000 flights were delayed by a minimum of 15 minutes, and well over 93,000 had to be cancelled for various reasons. This is the second-highest rate of cancellations since the year 2000, which was the worst year yet for airline service overall.

Passenger complains during the first half of this year were up close to 50 percent and stand at 6,100. The problems concerned lost luggage and other travel-related problems including late flights.
rose nearly 50 percent at 6,100 for the 6-month period.

Most airline flight delays occur during winter or summer travel, with spring and fall being quieter periods.
And while government burocrats and industry officials blame poor weather for these problems, consumers and many industry experts say the airline companies have been swamping the system in recent years. This has whittled away time margins which used to allow for unexpected events such as mechanical problems on the aircraft, security delays or thunderstorms.

The data examined by the Department of Transportation covered a record 3.69 million flights flown by 20 air carriers between January and June. There were 628,000 scheduled flights in June alone, one of the highest monthly totals ever seen.

However, the air lines are struggling to cement their modest financial recovery despite higher fuel costs and softening domestic demand for flights. The airlines are not planning wholesale changes to their operations and plan to keep their current flight schedules, at least for the time being.

This year, the air carriers adjusted their flight seating arrangements to maximize efficiency. And planes are now flying at or near their maximum capacity.

Mr David Castelveter, a spokesman for the industry lobbying group, the Air Transport Association, says the airplanes are already flying when and where the travelling public want to fly.

Airlines claim that little more can be done to reduce delays in the short term. But they're working with the Federal Aviation Administration look for further improvements.