Flight delays and cancellations rose year over
year for U.S. carriers in August, but carriers showed improvement in baggage
handling, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. They got 77.1
percent of flights to the gate within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival
times, down from 77.6 percent a year prior but up slightly compared with July. August
ended with Hurricane Harvey striking Southeast Texas and saw 2.2 percent of
domestic flights canceled by U.S. carriers, up from 1.4 percent in August 2016.
Mishandled baggage reports for the month declined from 3.15 per 1,000
passengers in August 2016 to 2.45 in August 2017.