Airlines for America Members Set Two Operational Records in January

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Mar 15, 2012, 01:13 ET

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today reported the best industry on-time performance and the lowest rate of mishandled bags for any January.

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According to the Department of Transportation (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report released today, 83.7 percent of flights arrived within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival time in January 2012. The performance marked the all-time record for any January since DOT began keeping on-time statistics in 1988. The previous January record of 83.3 percent was set in 2003.

"Our members are improving their operations, demonstrating their commitment to a better customer experience, built on the foundation of getting passengers to their destinations safely and on time," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "At the same time, we continue to work with the FAA on advanced air traffic control procedures, leveraging NextGen technology that will enable us to further reduce congestion and delays for customers while lowering our fuel burn and environmental impact."

The January 2012 on-time results follows a record performance at the end of 2011. For the fourth quarter of 2011, U.S. airlines recorded an 85.07 percent on-time arrival rate, the best ever for any fourth quarter.

Also in January 2012, there were 3.30 reports of mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, an all-time low for any January. This record represents 21 percent improvement from the previous record set in January 2011. The statistic also shows that nearly 99.7 percent of U.S. airline passengers had their bags delivered on time.

ABOUT A4A
Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs. A4A airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more information about the airline industry, visit www.airlines.org and follow us on Twitter @airlinesdotorg.

SOURCE Airlines for America