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Late, late, late flights: They’ve made a list — you should check it twice

December 12, 2007

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.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

5 comments

  • http://www.icheapairfares.com/blog/ Isaac

    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.

  • Poley

    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.

  • Germando Echovarde

    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.

  • Ken

    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.

  • Carl

    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?

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