Airlines Want Delays Reclassified
Airlines want delays caused by security screening to be categorized separately within a U.S. Department of Transportation proposal that airlines report the cause of delays in addition to the typically reported monthly aggregate number. Moreover, while DOT wants each airline to publicly release its individual delay information, airlines want the information to be kept in an aggregate form. Airlines currently only report the number and extent of delays. DOT expects to issue a final rule shortly.
DOT introduced the new rule late last year, as part of a larger initiative to reduce delays that were born in the overtaxed travel environment of 2000. While on-time performance improved in 2001, many attributed this to the capacity dip seen in the fall. Overall delays for May, the most recently published month, have seen only a slight increase heading into the summer: From February to May, Continental and American airlines, US Airways and Delta Air Lines all saw their on-time record dip. America West also saw more delays, though it came out on top of competitors, with 87.7 percent of all flights on time. Northwest and United airlines stayed stable within 0.5 percentage points, while Alaska Airlines actually increased its record.
According to Bureau of Transportation Statistics director Ashish Sen, a more detailed report will help to reduce the problem in coming years, when delays increase respective to traffic growth. Likewise, the monthly reports have added to a larger sense of efficiency that business travelers can use as a benchmark.
The new rule would break delays down into three categories: air carrier responsibility, extreme weather and a broader category, entitled the National Aviation System, which could include passenger screening problems, non-extreme weather, airport operations, heavy traffic or air traffic volumes. But carriers want the screening problems category separated out, as screening is no longer within their jurisdiction.
"Because of an increasing number of new security requirements, it is likely that delays attributable to passengers clearing security will increase," stated the Air Transport Association, a U.S. airline trade group, in response to the proposal. The group added, "Co-mingling security delays/cancellations with National Aviation System-related Air Traffic Control system delays/ cancellations would create unnecessary confusion for the traveling public and the government agencies responsible for potential future corrective action."
The airline group also proposed that other, non-major carriers that code share with major airlines, but currently are not required to report their delays, should be included in this process. These airlines make up about 17 percent of all flights. "Realistically, today all air carriers, no matter how small, must tabulate their departure and arrival times," said ATA, which claimed that small airlines and aircraft add to an airport's overall delays. Airport industry group Airports Council International claimed that short-haul flights, the specialty of small air carriers, are more likely to be delayed than long-haul flights, usually for weather-related reasons.
In response to the proposal, airport officials agreed that the current monthly delay information is insufficient and even suggested the data is flawed. Airline and air traffic control delay information is not collected in a uniform manner, according to Airports Council International president David Plavin. "Varying methods of reporting delays have created confusion and inaccuracies in reporting and led to misuse of such data," Plavin said.
Other airlines argued that the delays statistics can emphasize timeliness over safety. "Ironically, an airline that has a higher percentage of 'Air Carrier' delays may be doing more to ensure a safe departure than another airline that has placed a higher priority on avoiding the delay to improve its publicly reported delay statistics," said America West in a filed comment.