While finding cheap fares or great deals on discount travel packages is satisfying, most fliers get very frustrated by taking flights that depart late or get canceled.
In October US airlines did a worse job of getting travelers to their destinations as scheduled than they did last year for the same month. A Department of Transportation survey of 18 major airlines noted an on time arrival rate of 77% in October vs. 86% for the same month last year and 86% for September of this year.
Northwest Airlines, a subsidiary of Delta, had the worst on time performance in October, with only 69% of their flights arriving on time.
The best on time performance was turned in by Hawaiian Airlines with a 93% rate, followed by Alaska Airlines at 86% and JetBlue Airways at 83%.
According to DOT (the Department of Transportation) 41% of the delayed flights were weather related vs. 35% last year.
Probably the most troublesome issue for fliers has been extended tarmac delays. Tarmac delays of over three hours were few (0.002%), but double the percent experienced in September. There were not any delays over four hours in October.