JFK and Comair Lead Country Into Flight Delay Hell

[Matt Molnar]

The DOT released its November 2006 airline on-time stats yesterday, and it's not pretty. Overall, performance is the worst it's been since November 2000, and December stats are expected to be even worse due to the month's severe storms out west. The stats are especially unkind to JFK: just over half (26) of the nation's 50 most frequently delayed flights were flying to or from there. New York as a whole gets panned as well, with 78% of the top 50 traveling to or from JFK, LGA or EWR. And by airline, Comair takes home three prizes: most entries on the most frequently delayed flights list (34 out of 50), biggest percentage of flights late more than 70% of the time (9.4%), and fewest on-time arrivals (under 2/3 of Comair flights were on time in November).

The Tardy 50:
1. Delta partner Comair Flight 5518 from New York JFK to Boston (arrived late 96.67% of the time in November by an average of 71 minutes)
2. Delta partner Comair Flight 5073 from JFK to Atlanta (96.67%, 64 min.)
3. Delta partner Comair Flight 5195 from JFK to Wash. Dulles (96.15%, 53 min.)
4. Delta partner Comair Flight 5093 from JFK to Wash. National (96%, 63 min.)
5. Delta partner Comair Flight 4954 from Wash. National to JFK (96%, 57 min.)
6. Delta partner Comair Flight 5458 from JFK to Buffalo (93.33%, 57 min.)
7. United partner SkyWest Flight 5778 from Yuma to LAX (93.33%, 37 min.)
8. Delta partner Comair Flight 4979 from JFK to Richmond (93.1%, 67 min.)
9. Delta partner Comair Flight 5638 from Ft. Myers to Columbus, Ohio (93.1%, 37 min.)
10. Delta partner Atlantic Southeast (ASA) Flight 4802 from Atlantic City to Atlanta (93.1%, 36 min.)
11. Delta partner Comair Flight 4954 from JFK to Rochester, N.Y. (92.59%, 68 min.)
12. Delta partner Comair Flight 5123 from Columbus, Ohio, to Wash. National (92.31%, 44 min.)
13. Delta partner Comair Flight 5517 from JFK to Cleveland (92%, 66 min.)
14. Delta partner Comair Flight 5522 from JFK to Boston (90.91%, 78 min.)
15. US Airways Flight 1865 from Newark to Charlotte (90.48%, 60 min.)
16. Delta partner Comair Flight 5244 from Richmond to JFK (90%, 68 min.)
17. American Flight 1639 from JFK to San Juan, Puerto Rico (90%, 54 min.)
18. Delta partner Comair Flight 4969 from JFK to Indianapolis (89.66%, 60 min.)
19. Delta partner Comair Flight 5339 from Buffalo to Cincinnati (88.89%, 49 min.)
20. Delta partner Comair Flight 5266 from Richmond to N.Y. LaGuardia (88.46%, 65 min.)
21. Delta partner Comair Flight 5350 from LaGuardia to Portland, Maine (88.46%, 58 min.)
22. Delta partner Comair Flight 5495 from JFK to Dulles (88.46%, 57 min.)
23. Delta partner Comair Flight 5192 from Wash. National to Columbus, Ohio (88.46%, 41 min.)
24. Delta partner Comair Flight 5243 from Newark to Cincinnati (88%, 68 min.)
25. American Flight 1659 from Newark to Chicago O'Hare (88%, 63 min.)
26. Delta partner Comair Flight 5283 from JFK to Wash. National (86.67%, 63 min.)
27. Delta partner Comair Flight 5261 from Richmond to LaGuardia (86.67%, 57 min.)
28. Delta partner Comair Flight 5011 from Savannah to LaGuardia (86.67%, 53 min.)
29. United partner SkyWest Flight 5740 from Yuma to El Centro/Imperial, Calif. (86.67, 45 min.)
30. Northwest Flight 467 from Detroit to Atlanta. (86.67, 44 min.)
31. Delta partner SkyWest Flight 4079 from Salt Lake City to Dallas/Fort Worth (86.67, 28 min.)
32. Southwest Flight 803 from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia (86.21, 48 min.)
33. Delta partner Comair Flight 5350 from Raleigh/Durham to LaGuardia (86.21%, 48 min.)
34. United partner SkyWest Flight 5761 from Modesto to Los Angeles (85.21%, 68 min.)
35. Delta partner Comair Flight 5166 from LaGuardia to Cincinnati (84.62%, 68 min.)
36. Delta partner Comair Flight 5478 from Dulles to JFK (84.62%, 65 min.)
37. Delta partner Comair Flight 5519 from JFK to Nashville (84.62%, 59 min.)
38. American Flight 1497 from Newark to Chicago O'Hare (84%, 68 min.)
39. Delta partner Comair Flight 5534 from JFK to Burlington, Vt. (84%, 64 min.)
40. American Flight 1914 from Chicago O'Hare to Newark (84%, 59 min.)
41. Continental partner ExpressJet Flight 3043 from Greenville/Spartanburg to Newark (84%, 56 min.)
42. Delta partner Comair Flight 5274 from JFK to Pittsburgh (84%, 45 min.)
43. Continental partner ExpressJet Flight 3043 from Dulles to Newark (83.33%, 58 min.)
44. US Airways partner Mesa Flight 2809 from JFK to Charlotte (83.33%, 56 min.)
45. United partner Mesa Flight 7318 from JFK to Dulles (83.33%, 55 min.)
46. Delta partner Comair Flight 5463 from JFK to Buffalo (83.33%, 50 min.)
47. Delta partner Comair Flight 5524 from Columbus, Ohio, to JFK (83.33%, 46 min.)
48. Delta partner Comair Flight 4941 from JFK to Wash. National (83.33%, 41 min.)
49. Delta partner Comair Flight 5297 from Wash. National to JFK (82.76%, 58 min.)
49. Delta partner Comair Flight 5573 from JFK to Raleigh-Durham (82.76%, 58 min.)

References:
USA Today
DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report

[T-Bird76]

What Delta has done at JFK is a total joke, that terminal was never designed to handle the amount of Comair flights Delta has throw at it. With no mention of a new terminal you have to wonder what the plan is. Perhaps they are going to wait until B6 goes belly up and move into the new T5.

[moose135]

By my count, half of that list are Comair flights into or out of JFK or LGA - if they would stop flying here, New York's stats would be a lot better :D

[RDU-JFK]

First I thought it was the whole JFK's PM rush hour as the cause of Comair's woes, but JetBlue and American Eagle do not appear on the list nearly as much as Comair. It's too bad, I really hope Delta keeps their JFK presence up, but these numbers are not promising. They really do need a terminal upgrade--and fast!

[hiss srq]

I think Delta is a little over their head with tis explosive expansion here in the NY area. I would say it is better to be conservative than go all out because I have seen and heard many of the flights have fairly poor load factors save for obvious times like X mas etc.... when there are not enough seats.... I would say a 757 with 88 seats coach and 50 percent of first empty is not making moolah to be honest. Maybe they should re think it. Either that or they can just give up and become Parkers biotch and let US wrangle that little doggy in.