March 14--United's on-time arrival rate in January was better than average, but the Chicago-based carrier canceled more flights than the typical major airline.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday that 81.3 percent of flights on leading airlines arrived on time in January. At United, 82.5 percent of flights arrived on-time, placing it near the middle of the pack.
Airlines with the highest on-time arrival rates were Hawaiian, Alaska and Delta. Spirit had the worst on-time arrival rate in January.
The government agency also said that carriers canceled 2.6 percent of their scheduled domestic flights in January. United canceled 3.4 percent.
The U.S. carriers that reported problems with passengers' luggage had a "mishandled baggage rate" of 3.32 reports for every 1,000 passengers in January. United's was 3.1.
Complaints about airline service were up overall.
In January, the department received 1,697 complaints about airline service from consumers, up 14.8 percent from the same month a year ago.
Most complaints, a total of 489, were related to flight problems -- cancellations, delays and missed connections. The department also received 79 complaints related to the treatment of disabled passengers.
byerak@tribpub.com
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