Airlines’ performance improves

WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest airlines had a rate of on-time flights this past May that was higher than both the same month last year and the mark posted in April 2009, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 80.5 percent in May, better than both the 79 percent on-time rate of May 2008 and April 2009′s 79.1 percent.

The airlines with the highest on-time arrival rates were Hawaiian Airlines (90.3 percent), SkyWest Airlines (86.8 percent) and Pinnacle Airlines (86.8 percent). The airlines with the worst on-time arrival rates were Comair (65.7 percent), Atlantic Southeast Airlines (70.8 percent) and AirTran Airways (75.6 percent).

The airlines with the lowest rates of canceled flights were Continental Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Northwest Airlines all at 0.2 percent. Those with the highest rates of canceled flighrs were American Eagle Airlines (2.2 percent
), Comair (2.1 percent
) and American Airlines (1.4 percent).