DoT: On-time arrivals improve in March
May 13, 2010, 09:00 pm
Travelers witnessed better airline performance in March, according to a recent release from the Department of Transportation.
The on-time arrival performance of 18 reporting airlines improved to 80 percent during the third month of the year. That marks an improvement from the 74.6 percent seen in February and the 78.4 percent during March 2009.
Tarmac delays also saw reductions in March, falling from .013 percent of flights in February to .005 percent. The data took into account delays of three hours or more, and only four flights reported being stuck on a tarmac for more than four hours.
While tarmac delays did decline, travelers who encounter them can expect different treatment as the result of new rules from the department. Beginning April 29, planes will not be allowed to stay on a tarmac for more than three hours. Past that time, people will have to be allowed off the plane unless safety concerns preventthe airline from doing so.
The changes come after a number of flights received coverage in the news for extended delay times, including one at Kennedy Airport that left passengers on the plane for more than six hours.
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