A stormy summer produced an unexpected result for travellers: on-time flights. Powerful storms pounded the East Coast. Chicago got repeatedly hammered. Overall, the FAA says the nation’s 30 busiest airports saw 9.4% more bad weather than last summer, measured by hours of storm impact from April through Aug 23. Not every airline got off scot-free. Yet the summer saw a lower rate of cancellations and solid on-time performance at many airlines despite those hurdles, according to data compiled by the masFlight analytics platform of Global Eagle. Investment in technology to orchestrate quicker recovery and limit delays from spreading throughout the system paid off, airlines say. In addition, they’re now able to trim schedules surgically when necessary rather than taking a hatchet to travel plans. <br/>
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The closure of a major Japanese airport flooded by a typhoon is raising worries about the impact on tourist traffic, mostly from China and Southeast Asia, as well as on exporting computer chips and other goods. Kansai International Airport officials said Wednesday they weren't sure when the airport will reopen. Although a damaged runway had been mostly cleared, other equipment to ensure safe flying wasn't operating. Visitors are worried and some are rushing to change flights. About 3,000 passengers stranded at the airport overnight were given blankets and biscuits until they gradually left by boats and buses. The airport served 28m passengers last year, and that number is expected to grow as Japan opens up to tourism in recent years to keep its economy going. <br/>