U.S. Airlines Cancelled Fewer Flights Than Usual in November
Photo Credit: In November 2017, no U.S. airline cancelled fewer flights than Delta, which has trademarked the phrase, "The On-Time Machine." Delta Air Lines / Delta Air Lines
Skift Take
Maybe airline service isn't as strong as most customers would like. But there's no mistaking the data. Operationally, many U.S. airlines are stronger than ever. That's good news for passengers who want to get to their destination on time.
U.S. airlines are canceling fewer flights than ever, and arriving on-time at nearly an historic rate, according to new government data released Friday.
The nation's 12 largest airlines — a group that includes regional carriers ExpressJet and SkyWest Airlines — on average canceled just three of 1,000 domestic flights in November, tying a record set in September 2016 and November 2016.
In addition, the government said, the dozen airlines posted an on-time performance of 88.3 percent in November, the second-highest rate ever recorded. The government considers a flight on-time if it arrives within 14 minutes of its scheduled time.
Of the two metrics, cancellation rate is more impressive. Airlines can control on-time performance by padding schedules with the extra time. A flight from New York John F. Ke
