US: Those on-time flight numbers? They’re expected to decline next year

Each month the DoT announces the percentage of domestic flights that arrived on time, and the number has generally been rosy so far this year, ranging from 76 to 83% of the flights tracked. But that record is not likely to continue. Starting in 2018, the government will finally begin counting flights operated by smaller carriers and the major airlines’ regional partners, most of which are not currently included in the monthly statistics. Since those flights are more prone to delays — and account for more than half of all domestic flights — the industry’s overall on-time record is expected to fall. “It’s going to come down really dramatically, and it’s also going to change the way the big carriers treat their regional partners,” said Charles Leocha, chairman of Travelers United and a member of the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection, which recommended the DoT improve its flight data. “I think it’s going to provide consumers with a much more realistic view of how the major airlines are working,” Leocha said. In recent years, Delta and American and United have increasingly relied on regional partners like Republic and Mesa Airlines to operate flights from their main hubs to smaller airports. These flights are sold by the major carriers (through brands like Delta Connection, American Eagle or United Express), so some passengers may not realize that they are flying on a different carrier — or that if the flight is late, it may not be counted in the government’s statistics. But that skews the on-time rankings that the DoT publishes each month, and misleads passengers about how well each carrier meets its schedule.<br/>