No More Running Through The Airport Like O.J., Flights Post Awful Records

Older readers may remember O.J. Simpson's famous Hertz commercials back when he was a football player and actor. The spots showed the star running back racing through an airport and hurtling over chairs, suitcase and other obstacles.

According to the latest government data, travelers can stroll more leisurely than Simpson.

The nation's airlines, despite rising fuel prices and terrorism concerns, posted some of the worst flight delay statistics in recent memory during June. The national average for timeliness was 68.1%, down almost a full percent from last June. More astonishing was the 100% delay experienced by eight different flights last month. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that 6 of the 8 flights originated from New York's JFK Airport or from Atlanta's Hartsfield. One of the other flights was a departure from Tennessee to Atlanta, and for some inexplicable reason, Northwest's flight 656 from its hub in Detroit to Newark, New Jersey joined the group at 100%.

But late arrivals were not the only issue facing travelers in June. Three airlines canceled more than 5% of their flights in June: Mesa, American Eagle and Northwest.

When flights did take off, there was a good chance that the luggage was also delayed or even lost. The government agency said that "mishandled baggage" complaints rose 25% for a 6 month period ending in June. There were 7.34 reports of mishandled baggage for each 1,000 passengers during the period. Put in perspective, a small regional jet holds nearly 50 passengers while larger jets can hold more than 100, sometimes much more. Another way of expressing the rate the government reported is that 1 out of every 136 passengers reported a baggage problem, and many passengers continue to only bring carry-on luggage.

Keep your cool during the waning days of summer, and you just may want to consider carry-on luggage for shorter trips. At least you won't bump into O.J. Chances are his flight is late too.

Labels: airline, travel

posted by Consumer Help Web Editorial Team at 8:49 AM |