On Time Performance via DOT

DOT 80-11
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel: (202) 366-4570

Airline On-Time Performance in May Improves from Previous Month but Down From Last Year

The nation’s largest airlines posted an on-time arrival mark in May that was an improvement from April’s showing but down from the performance recorded in May 2010, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, shows that the 16 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 77.1 percent in May, down from the 79.9 percent on-time rate of May 2010 but up from April 2011’s 75.5 percent rate.

The monthly report also includes data on lengthy tarmac delays, on-time performance, chronically delayed flights, flight cancellations, and the causes of flight delays filed with the Department by the reporting carriers. In addition, the report contains information on reports of mishandled baggage filed by consumers with the carriers, and consumer service, disability and discrimination complaints received by DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division. This report also includes reports of incidents involving pets traveling by air, as required to be filed by U.S. carriers.

The Air Travel Consumer Report can be found on DOT’s World Wide Web Site.


The Bureau of Transportation Statistics today released May airline on-time numbers. Here is a summary of tables posted on the BTS website

Thursday, July 7, 2011 Contact: Dave Smallen

Tel.: (202) 366-5568

david.smallen@dot.gov



BTS airport rankings on flight delays and other summary tables.

Tarmac Times.

The tables posted on the BTS website are:

Table 1: On-time arrival performance during the first five months of 2011 was the 11th highest for the January-May period in the 17 years with comparable numbers and the lowest since 2008. Note that the number of reporting carriers has varied.



Table 2: May was the 109th highest month of the 195 months with comparable records with on-time performance of 77.06 percent. On-time performance in May 2011 was the third lowest of the last 17 years and below the average of 79.80 for May in the past 16 years.



Table 3: Salt Lake City (87.31) had the highest and Newark (61.87) had the lowest on-time arrival performance of the 29 busiest airports in May.



Table 4: Salt Lake City (82.44) had the highest and Newark (65.35) had the lowest on-time arrival performance of the 29 busiest airports for the five-month January-May period.



Table 5: Salt Lake City (88.83) and Portland (88.80) had the highest and Chicago O’Hare (67.48) had the lowest on-time departure performance of the 29 busiest airports in May.



Table 6: Seattle (85.86) had the highest and Chicago Midway (67.55) had the lowest on-time departure performance of the 29 busiest airports for the five-month January-May period.



Tarmac Times: There were 16 tarmac times of more than three hours in May: 14 taxi-ins (wheels-on to gate arrival), one taxi-out and one cancellation. The 14 taxi-ins were all operated on May 29 by American Eagle at Chicago O’Hare. The May flight with the longest tarmac time was American Eagle Flight 3873 from El Paso to Chicago O’Hare on May 29 which was on the O’Hare tarmac for 223 minutes before arriving at the gate, the longest tarmac time since the DOT rule went into effect.



Longest 2011 Tarmac Time: American Eagle Flight 3873 from El Paso to Chicago O’Hare on May 29 was on the O’Hare tarmac for 223 minutes before arriving at the gate.



Chronically Delayed: The most delayed flight in May was Frontier Flight 804 from Kansas City to New York LaGuardia, which was 81.25 percent not on-time, averaging 93 minutes late.



The Tables.

For other airports and more detailed information.


Causes of delay.

Tarmac Times.





Chronically-delayed flights.