While most people seem to be ignoring the chance of traveling all the year for the best rates of the past few years, the truth is that I am already planning everything and trying to discover how the airlines are fighting the current financial trends... Still, it seems that airlines operating on Hawaii are facing some difficult times too, just read the article below (another one from msnbc.com):
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ATLANTA - U.S. airlines' on-time performance declined dramatically in December compared to the previous month, but improved slightly over a year earlier, the Transportation Department said Monday. The carriers blamed weather and aviation system issues for contributing to some delays.
The DOT also said that the airlines had a significantly higher domestic flight cancellation rate and a higher mishandled baggage rate in the final month of 2008 compared to November. Even complaints about airline service were up in December compared to November.
Still, the DOT said the airlines did a better job in all four categories in December compared the same month in 2007.
Regional carrier Comair, a unit of Delta Air Lines Inc., had the worst on-time performance in December, while Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance in the month.
The DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 65.3 percent, up from December 2007's 64.3 percent but down from November 2008's 83.3 percent. In December, 45.4 percent of late flights were delayed by weather. Also in December, the carriers filing on-time performance data reported that 10.6 percent of their flights were delayed by aviation system delays, 11.1 percent by late-arriving aircraft and 7.7 percent by factors within the airline's control such as maintenance or crew problems.
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