In March 2018, the reporting carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 80.9 percent, up from both the 79.9 percent on-time rate in March 2017 and the 79.3 percent mark in February 2018.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today released its May 2018 Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on air carrier data compiled for the month of March 2018 and the first quarter of 2018.
On-Time Performance
In March 2018, the reporting carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 80.9 percent, up from both the 79.9 percent on-time rate in March 2017 and the 79.3 percent mark in February 2018.
Highest On-Time Arrival Rates
- Delta Air Lines – 87.0 percent
- Alaska Airlines – 86.8 percent
- Hawaiian Airlines – 85.3 percent
Lowest On-Time Arrival Rates
- JetBlue Airways – 64.2 percent
- Virgin America – 69.9 percent
- PSA Airlines – 75.5 percent
Cancellations
In March 2018, the reporting carriers canceled 2.8 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, up from both the 1.7 percent cancellation rate posted in March 2017 and the 1.7 percent rate in February 2018.
Highest Rates of Canceled Flights
- Republic Airlines – 7.7 percent
- Endeavor Air – 7.2 percent
- JetBlue Airways – 6.4 percent
Lowest Rates of Canceled Flights
- Allegiant Air – 0.5 percent
- Hawaiian Airlines – 0.5 percent
- Alaska Airlines – 0.8 percent
Tarmac Delays
In March 2018, airlines reported one tarmac delay of more than three hours on domestic flights, down from 27 such tarmac delays reported in February 2018. In March 2018, airlines reported no tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights, compared to four such tarmac delays reported in February 2018. All reported extended tarmac delays are investigated by the Department.
Domestic Flights with Longest Tarmac Delays Exceeding Three Hours
- Allegiant Air flight 644 from Sanford, Fla. to Ogdensburg, N.Y., 3/14/18 – delayed 194 minutes on the tarmac in Sanford
International Flights with Longest Tarmac Delays Exceeding Four Hours
* There were no international flights in March with tarmac delays exceeding four hours.
Detailed information on airline on-time performance, cancellations, and tarmac delays is available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Mishandled Baggage
In March 2018, the carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 2.59 reports per 1,000 passengers, an increase over March 2017’s rate of 2.24, but an improvement over February 2018’s rate of 2.72. For the first quarter of this year, the carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 2.92 reports per 1,000 passengers, an increase over the 2.59 rate for the first quarter of 2017.
Bumping/Oversales
Bumping/oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly. For the first quarter of 2018, the 18 U.S. carriers who report on-time performance and mishandled baggage data posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, rate of 0.12 per 10,000 passengers, the lowest quarterly rate based on historical data dating back to 1995 and down from both the rate of 0.62 for the first quarter of 2017 and the previous lowest quarterly rate of 0.15 posted in the third quarter of 2017. See the May Air Travel Consumer Report for denied boarding numbers by airline.
Incidents Involving Animals
In March 2018, U.S. airlines reported three incidents involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, up from both the two reports filed in March 2017 and the one report filed in February 2018. March’s incidents involved the death of one animal and injuries to two other animals.
Complaints About Airline Service
In March 2018, DOT received 1,194 complaints about airline service from consumers, up 5.7 percent from the total of 1,130 filed in March 2017 and up 14.1 percent from the 1,046 received in February 2018. For the first quarter of this year, the Department received 3,690 complaints, down 1.1 percent from the 3,730 filed during the first quarter of 2017.
Complaints About Treatment of Disabled Passengers
In March 2018, the Department received a total of 60 disability-related complaints, up from both the 55 complaints received in March 2017 and the 53 complaints received in February 2018. For the first quarter of this year, the Department received 178 disability-related complaints, down from the total of 187 filed during the first quarter of 2017. All complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability are investigated.
Complaints About Discrimination
In March 2018, the Department received nine complaints alleging discrimination – six complaints regarding race, one complaint regarding national origin, and two complaints regarding sex. This is up from the total of four complaints recorded in both March 2017 and February 2018. For the first quarter of this year, the Department received 20 discrimination complaints – 12 complaints regarding race, one complaint regarding ancestry/ethnicity, two complaints regarding national origin, one complaint regarding color, one complaint regarding religion, and three complaints regarding sex. This is equal to the total of 20 filed during the first quarter of 2017. All complaints alleging discrimination are investigated to determine if there has been a violation(s) of the passenger’s civil rights.