US flight cancellations fall to lowest rate in at least decade
US flight cancellations fell to the lowest rate in at least a decade in 2023, the US Transportation Department said Wednesday, after a string of bumpy years for air travel. There were 16.3m US flights in 2023 and a cancellation rate of below 1.2%, the lowest since at least 2013, USDOT said, adding that it was even better over the holidays. The cancellation rate for the period from Dec. 17, 2023 through Jan. 1, 2024 was 0.8%, despite a record number of passengers, the department said. That was far below last holiday season's 8.2% cancellation rate, which included the Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) meltdown that disrupted 2m passengers and led to a record-setting $140m civil penalty last month. "We've been pushing the airlines hard," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday. "We've pressed them on realistic scheduling." Buttigieg said last month he wanted to see additional declines in flight delay rates as well. The Biden administration plans to propose rules to mandate compensation for lengthy delays or cancellations that are the fault of carriers. Airlines for America, representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest and others said US airlines had a December on-time arrival rate of 83.7% and 99.6% completion factor. "This is a direct result of the focused, dedicated work our carriers have been doing for well over a year -- including hiring aggressively, adjusting schedules and investing in new technologies," the industry group said Wednesday.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-01-04/general/us-flight-cancellations-fall-to-lowest-rate-in-at-least-decade
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US flight cancellations fall to lowest rate in at least decade
US flight cancellations fell to the lowest rate in at least a decade in 2023, the US Transportation Department said Wednesday, after a string of bumpy years for air travel. There were 16.3m US flights in 2023 and a cancellation rate of below 1.2%, the lowest since at least 2013, USDOT said, adding that it was even better over the holidays. The cancellation rate for the period from Dec. 17, 2023 through Jan. 1, 2024 was 0.8%, despite a record number of passengers, the department said. That was far below last holiday season's 8.2% cancellation rate, which included the Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) meltdown that disrupted 2m passengers and led to a record-setting $140m civil penalty last month. "We've been pushing the airlines hard," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday. "We've pressed them on realistic scheduling." Buttigieg said last month he wanted to see additional declines in flight delay rates as well. The Biden administration plans to propose rules to mandate compensation for lengthy delays or cancellations that are the fault of carriers. Airlines for America, representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest and others said US airlines had a December on-time arrival rate of 83.7% and 99.6% completion factor. "This is a direct result of the focused, dedicated work our carriers have been doing for well over a year -- including hiring aggressively, adjusting schedules and investing in new technologies," the industry group said Wednesday.<br/>
