Flight Delays, Lost Bags Up

Travelers faced more flight delays and lost or mishandled luggage by airlines last year than in 2004, according to figures the U.S. Department of Transportation published in last month's Air Travel Consumer Report.

About 77.4 percent of flights arrived on time in 2005. That percentage nearly matched figures from 2001. That rebound was the culmination of four years of annual improvements.

The percentage of on-time arrivals last year fell below the 77.86 percent historical average since 1998. Additionally, delays were the most rampant since 2000, when 20.85 percent of flights reported by the carriers were delayed.

Although on-time performance among the airlines slipped in 2005, delays were not always their fault. Although 71 percent of flights came in on time in December, the National Aviation System delayed nearly 10 percent of flights and late-arriving aircraft and other delays by carriers caused their fair share at about 16 percent. Weather caused just more than 1 percent of delays.

Commensurate with last year's decline in performance among the major U.S. airlines, DOT received 8,735 airline service complaints in 2005, up more than 17 percent from 2004 when travelers filed 7,452 complaints. Of the leading gripes that airline passengers filed, more than one-quarter pertained to flight problems, followed by baggage and customer service complaints.