Here’s an early Christmas present from our friends at the United States Department of Transportation. This morning, the government released a list of chronically late flights for the third quarter of 2007. Better check this one twice before your next trip, because a lot of airlines have been very, very naughty, if these numbers are to be believed.
The worst offender? According to the DOT, it’s Delta. Among the 10-most delayed flights, the top six either belonged to Delta or one of its regional carriers, Comair or Atlantic Southeast. The worst was Delta’s flight 1667 from New York to Orlando, which was delayed 94 percent of the time, with an average delay of 95 minutes.
Here’s the top 10 list of flights by percent not on-time (number delayed includes cancelled and diverted flights). A flight is considered delayed when it arrived 15 or more minutes later than the schedule:
| Carrier | Flight Number | Origin | Dest | Scheduled Departure Time | Percent Not On-Time | Average Minutes of Delay (Late flights only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Delta | 1667 | JFK | MCO | 1942 | 94.12 | 95.13 |
| 2. SkyWest | 4020 | SLC | MEM | 1918 | 93.33 | 47.86 |
| 3. Atlantic Southeast | 4525 | ATL | GNV | 1555 | 90.20 | 74.26 |
| 4. Delta | 866 | LAX | MSY | 1130 | 89.36 | 48.05 |
| 5. Atlantic Southeast | 4178 | ATL | TRI | 1600 | 88.24 | 59.00 |
| 6. Comair | 5513 | BOS | JFK | 1520 | 88.24 | 76.69 |
| 7. AirTran | 245 | ATL | MIA | 2115 | 87.50 | 56.80 |
| 8. Southwest | 1641 | MDW | OMA | 2000 | 85.11 | 78.05 |
| 9. American | 585 | MIA | SJU | 1950 | 84.85 | 82.63 |
| 10. American | 882 | MIA | JFK | 1755 | 84.85 | 109.50 |
What does all of this mean? That despite the government’s insistence to the contrary, flights are still running late. Very late.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
All of those are PM flights, except the #4. It goes to show, the later the flight, the more chance for delays. If you want your flight to leave on time, try to depart in the AM.
I’m suprised to see Southwest Airlines on that list, with a 78.05 minute average delay when that flight is late! They usually run a pretty tight ship.
Supprised USAirways flight from PHL to PDX is not on the list. the 8 something PM flight. Never on time. Flew this flight 2 times 3 weeks apart last month. First delay 4 hours due to mechanical problem causing feeder flight to be late. 2nd time initially delayed 1 hour due to weather then couldnt find a mechanic to sign off on a repair causing an extra 90 min on the ground.
I get tired hearing about how many Delta and its regional carriers are late in and out of New York, Boston, etc. The problem is not Delta— rather it is the antiquated facilities in New York and the volume of traffic in and out of the Northeast. Delta cannot control the weather…. the usual “media coverage” and internet philosophers who condemn Delta seem to imply that the pilots actually plan a late arrival/depature from New York six weeks in advance. How many times are Delta flights late from or to Cincinnati, Denver, Colorado Springs, kansas City, Salt Lake, etc. ….. don’t condemn Delta for late flights….look at the “real reasons” why planes are late in and out of New York.
If the company I work for had a part, procedure, etc. that was defective more than 80% of the time we would sure “root cause” the problem and fix it. Successful companies nowadays maintain and expect defect rates of a few per thousand (or less) whether they provide products or services.
I guess airline CEOs have more important work like increasing their bonuses by eliminating blankets, meals, etc. and fighting lawsuits when their chronically delayed flights leave customers stranded without blankets, meals, etc!
And Germando, if the problem isn’t Delta, why aren’t other airlines as badly delayed out of the Northeast? If you want to blame geography, Florida is overrepresented on the list.
Figures lie and liars figure…
Example:
* There is a Delta flight from CHS to CVG that I take somewhat regularly. The stats on this flight indicate it is only on time about 67% of the time. The average delay is about 42 minutes.
* BUT, the problem is NOT that flight. It is not CHS. I’m not sure you can say it is really Delta that is the problem. Why? Because the equipment is a flight from LGA that is only on time 29% of the time.
Conclusion: The problem is LGA! [Along with the rest of the NYC airports.] Even more to the point: Since the CHS/CVG flight is on time TWICE as often as the inbound flight from LGA, Delta is actually making up for the initial delay at least half the time.
Going back to the list above, and the other comments: It is far more the LOCATION and not the airline. Which begs another comment on another article: Who really cares if JFK loses flights? If the airlines and the FAA were smart [I'm not saying they are...], they would send their international flights to airports like CVG that have generally good weather, newly expanded runway capacity, and easy gate-to-gate connections. If a passenger is connecting to another location, WHY should they care WHERE the connection is made as long as it is easy and on-time?