US airlines set record for on-time arrivals in November 2009

Airlines based in the United States set a record in November 2009 vis-à-vis arriving at their destinations on time – in at least about a decade.

A flight is considered on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of schedule.

However, the on-time performance for December 2009 is unlikely to come anywhere near the November 2009 figure, mainly because of the heavy holiday traffic and the scare and additional security checks following the attempt to detonate a bomb aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the United States Department of Transportation (TSA, for November 2009, the 19 biggest US-based carriers reported that 88.6% of their domestic flights reached destinations on time.

This feat breaks the previous record of 88% on-time arrivals achieved in September 2002.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has been tracking on-time data of US-based carriers since 1995.

The performance in November 2009 was a big improvement over October 2009, when the on-time arrival rate was 77.3%, and also higher than the 83.3% in November 2008.

In its report, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics did not explain the reasons for the record performance in November 2009, but good weather in the month was certainly one factor.

In November 2009, the weather was responsible for about one-third of flight delays – which was lower than the 41% in October 2009, and also lower than the 42% in November 2008. Inclement weather results in delayed departures, delays arising out of late arrivals of aircraft, and also malfunctions of the aviation systems.

In November 2009, US-based carriers operated 509,540 domestic flights – that is, 22,000 flights less than they did in October 2009.

Among the major United States-based airlines, United Airlines achieved the highest on-time arrival rate in November – at 92.6%.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a Delta Connection airline, performed the worst – with an on-time arrival rate of 81%, followed by AirTran Airways (at 80.6%), and Comair, a regional airline owned by Delta Air Lines, at 85.1%.

In all, 4 flights were delayed on tarmac for 3 hours or more in November 2009, which was better than the 12 flights delayed in October 2009.

Carriers in the United States also had another record in November 2009 – for the lowest rate of mishandled baggage, which stood at 2.78 mishandled baggage per 1,000 passengers. The earlier record was 3.01 mishandled baggage per 1,000 passengers in September 2009.

The worst baggage-handling rate in November 2009 was by American Eagle, the regional carrier of American Airlines.

In the opinion of an aviation analyst, it is now easier for airliners to arrive on time because the companies have “padded” their schedules over the last many years – that is, scheduling more time that is need for flights. For example, a shuttle flight from Washington, D.C., to New York is usually scheduled for about 80 minutes, even as the actual flying time is less than one hour.