Kicking off the busiest travel week of the year comes news that if you’re flying into LaGuardia, JFK or Newark airports, there’s essentially a one-in-three chance your flight will be delayed, which gives those airports the worst on-time arrival records in the nation.
Yesterday, New York Senator Chuck Schumer issued results from a study based on Bureau of Transportation statistics that revealed, based on the nation’s 33 largest airports:
From January through September 2005, 33% of flights to LaGuardia were delayed, making it 32nd out of 33. In 2004, 27% were delayed and it was ranked 31st, and in 2003 LaGuardia had 24% of flights delayed and was ranked 29th. JFK had a similarly disappointing record. From January through September 2005, a full 30% of flights arrived late, placing it 31st among the nation’s 33 large airports. But in 2004, JFK had a 24% of flights delayed with a rank of 25th, in 2003 it has only 20% of flights delayed and ranked 23rd. Newark has consistently posted worst or second to worst. Now it is ranked 33rd of 33 with 34% of arrivals delayed.
In a related local note, Cleveland is the 10th busiest route both into and out of LaGuardia, and so far this year has had 30.3% delays on inbound flights and 25.2% outbound. (In general, the stats for delayed departures from LaGuardia, JFK and Newark aren’t quite as bad as the stats for delayed arrivals.)
But overall, the pokiness has been worsening and it can’t be chalked up solely to elements such as weather; the survey makes an accusation: “there is something structurally wrong with how the FAA and air traffic control are managing the traffic in the New York City area.”
Something for me to think about while my plane sits on the runway at LaGuardia this Wednesday, which is when I depart for Cleveland to visit my family for Thanksgiving.