U.S. airlines' on-time performance improved from a month earlier
in July, the Department of Transportation said Monday, but they
mishandled more bags than a month earlier.
The DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the 19
carriers reporting on-time performance had an overall rate of
76.7%, down from 77.6% a year earlier but up from 76.4% in June.
The agency said carriers canceled 1.4% of their scheduled flights,
compared with 1.2% and 1.5%, respectively.
A flight is counted as "on time" if it operated less than 15
minutes after the scheduled time shown in the carriers'
computerized reservation system.
ExpressJet Holdings Inc. (XJT) had the worst on-time performance
in July at 68.6%, while Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s (HA) Hawaiian
Airlines again had the best, with a 94.7% rate. Comair Ltd.
(COM.JO) had the second-worst rate, at 69.1%, followed by Delta
Airlines Inc. (DAL) at 69.9%.
Meanwhile, the industry had a mishandled baggage rate of 3.79
per 1,000 passengers in July, down from 4.06 a year earlier but up
from June's 3.72 rate. The DOT also received 1,094 overall
complaints in July, compared with 827 and 1,419, respectively.
-By Matt Jarzemsky, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2240;
matthew.jarzemsky@dowjones.com