When the winter weather turns ugly, so do the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) released statistics (PDF link here) looking back at airline performance from delays to mishandled baggage in January 2014.

Sometime you feel like the herd to the slaughter.

Sometimes you feel like the herd to the slaughter.

Some highlights

  • On-time arrival rates:
    • January 2014 – 67.7%
    • December 2014 – 68.9%
    • January 2013 – 81.0%
  • Reasons for Flight Delays (January 2014):
    • 6.60% – Aviation-System Delays (includes weather caused re-routes)
    • 9.87% – Late-arriving Aircraft (includes weather delayed aircraft)
    • 7.66% – Factors within the airline’s control (maintenance or crew problems)
    • 1.26% – Weather
    • 0.03% – Security Issue
    • Overall, 29.14% delayed by weather
  • Chronically Delayed Flights:
    • January 2014 – 155 flights delayed 30+ mins more than 50% time for two consecutive months (full list here)
  • 18 tarmac delays (3+ hours) on domestic flights
  • 3 tarmac delays (4+ hours) on international flights
  • Cancelled flights:
    • January 2014 – 6.5%
    • December 2013 – 2.9%
    • January 2013 – 1.5%
  • Mishandled Baggage Rate:
    • January 2014 – 5.54 (per 1000 passengers)
    • December 2013 – 4.55
    • January 2013 – 3.41
  • General Complaints:
    • January 2014 – 1,713 complaints
    • December 2013 – 1,114
    • January 2013 – 1,372
  • Complaints Related to Disabled Passengers:
    • January 2014 – 76
    • December 2013 – 47
    • January 2013 – 55
  • Complaints Related to Discrimination:
    • January 2014 – 8
    • December 2013 – 9
    • January 2013 – 6

Filing Complaints
Consumers may file their complaints in writing with the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the USDOT:

By Mail: Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590
By Phone: (202) 366-2220 or TTY (202) 366-0511
Online: www.dot.gov/airconsumer

My picks for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Good – Hawaiian Airlines for having only 1 cancelled flight in January 2014.
Bad – American Eagle Airlines for having the lowest on-time rate of 59.1%.
Ugly –  The 16 Southwest aircraft stuck without a gate at Chicago’s Midway MDW on January 2, 2014 due to a snowstorm, the longest delay being Flight 502 from San Diego delayed on tarmac for 5 hours, 18 minutes! (More on the story: Passengers Stuck on Midway Tarmac for Hours)

Full review of the statistics available here from the USDOT.

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