Airline On-Time Performance Up From Previous Year, Month

WASHINGTON – The reporting carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 86.5 percent in September, up from both the 81.1 percent on-time rate in September 2014 and the 80.3 percent mark in August 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report released today. September 2015’s on-time rate was the fourth highest of the 249 months with comparable records, the second highest for any September, and above the September average of 82.73 percent in the previous 20 years. September 2001 was not included in the averages.

Airline consumer complaints filed with DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division during the first nine months of this year were up from the first nine months of 2014. From January to September 2015, the Department received 15,770 consumer complaints, up from the total of 12,348 filed during the first nine months of 2014. In September, the Department received 1,857 complaints about airline service from consumers, up from the total of 1,158 filed in September 2014, but down from the 2,205 received in August 2015.

The consumer report also includes data on tarmac delays, cancellations, chronically delayed flights, and the causes of flight delays filed with the Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by the reporting carriers. In addition, the consumer report contains statistics on mishandled baggage reports filed by consumers with the carriers, passengers denied confirmed space (oversales/bumping) as filed with BTS by the carriers, and aviation service complaints filed with DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division by consumers regarding a range of issues such as flight problems, baggage, reservation and ticketing, refunds, consumer service, disability, and discrimination. The consumer report also includes reports of incidents involving the loss, death, or injury of animals traveling by air, as required to be filed by U.S. carriers.

This news release is available at https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/airline-time-performance-previous-year-month. The full consumer report is available at www.transportation.gov/individuals/air-consumer/air-travel-consumer-reports. Detailed information on flight delays is available at www.bts.gov.

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