As the US emerges from another Independence Day holiday, the country’s aviation sector is welcoming some good news at last, with the latest Department of Transportation (DOT) figures showing flight cancellations in the US dropped to a 10-year-low in 2023.
Over 16.3 million flights took place in the US in 2023 with a cancellation rate of below 1.2%, the lowest since at least 2013, the DOT said. Cancellations that did occur were most likely to be down to the weather, the analysis shows.
Busy periods saw fewer cancellations
Hailing the development as a victory for “realistic scheduling” in the face of record passenger numbers, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNBC, “We’ve been pushing the airlines hard.” His view is borne out by the fact that the cancellation rate during the busy holiday seasons was even better than the new 1.2% average.
US holidays have seen nightmarish scenarios across the nation’s airports in recent years, such as a historic storm and a catastrophic Southwest Airlines response that stranded 2 million passengers to whom they now owe record-levels of compensation. That year (2022) the cancellation rate was 8.2% for the season. Over the Christmas and New Year period 2023-2024, in contrast, the cancellation rate fell to just 0.8%, just a tenth of the previous year’s rate.
Meanwhile trade association, Airlines for America, put the achievements down to action taken by its member airlines, which include American, Delta, United and Southwest, who have been investing on a number of fronts, from recruitment to implementing new systems. “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 body said.
Tackling delays is next
With the rate of cancellations lower than it has been for a decade, Buttiegeg now has the rate of delays in his sights. US airlines had an on-time arrival rate of 83.7% in December and 99.6% completion factor, according to Airlines for America. The Biden administration wants to improve that and is set to mandate the amont of compensation carriers are liable for if they are responsible for disrupting passengers’ journeys.
The Biden-Harris Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $25 billion in US airport infrastructure over five years, aimed at improving runways and air traffic control towers as well as adding gates and flight capacity, modernizing baggage systems, replacing passenger boarding bridges, reconfiguring security screening areas, and improving safety. Nearly 200 terminal projects are already under construction.
