U.S.-based airlines in October arrived on time 84 percent of the time, marking the domestic market's strongest record in 20 months and the fifth consecutive month of improvements, according to figures released by FlightStats this week.
"The year-to-date numbers tell a similar story among the seven largest U.S. carriers," FlightStats noted in a report released late Monday. "All improved their performance significantly in October, with Northwest Airlines leading the way."
Northwest posted a nearly 90 percent on-time record for October, the highest among legacy carriers. Though all legacies improved last month, Continental recorded the poorest on-time performance among the largest carriers for October, with more than 20 percent of its flights not arriving as scheduled.
The ongoing effort among U.S. carriers to remove capacity from the domestic system is one explanation for the steady improvements in timely arrival. Carriers ramped up such initiatives in the post-Labor Day shoulder season, and by the end of the fourth quarter, the domestic market is expected to lose nearly 11 percent of its flights and 9 percent of its available seats, according to OAG capacity data released last month
(BTNonline, Oct. 8).
Meanwhile, despite a concerted effort among officials from the Department of Transportation and New York-area airports, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark held their positions at the bottom of the on-time heap of U.S. airports, according to FlightStats airport arrival statistics. LaGuardia posted an on-time record in October of nearly 74 percent, while JFK and Newark ended with on-time figures of 73 percent and 68 percent, respectively.