Delays in 2007 were second-worst ever

Transportation Department statistics for the full year 2007 show that flight delays at the nation’s 20 largest airlines were the second-worst since the government started keeping on-time data in 1995 – exceeded only by the year 2000. Last year, flights arrivals 15 minutes or more behind schedule accounted for more than 26 percent of all flights – vs. 27.4 percent late arrivals in 2000. In the month of December 2007, more than one-third of all flights arrived late, according to DOT, vs. just 20 percent in November 2007. The poor performance is adding fuel to a growing debate over what – if anything – the government can do to make the system operate more efficiently. DOT recently proposed allowing airports to charge airlines more for flights that operate during peak hours; the airline industry has been pressuring the government to move faster on a long-term plan to install a new satellite-based navigational system that will allow more efficient use of the nation’s airspace.