US airlines' on-time performance dropped for the fifth year in a row in 2006, with one in four flights arriving late or not at all, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing data released by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

 

It was the worst year since 2000, when bad weather and high demand kept 27 percent of flights from getting to their destinations on time, the report said.

 

The airlines also mishandled a massive amount of luggage -- 4 million bags, or 6.7 for every 1,000 passengers, the industry's worst rate since 1990.

 

Most industry analysts agree that the spike in lost bags stemmed from stricter security measures that prompted passengers to check more of their luggage, said the report.

 

The report said that the percentage of flight delays caused by weather has actually been dropping, to 45 percent last year, despite blizzards that snarled air traffic during the holiday travel season.

 

In 2004, half of all delays were caused by weather, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which is part of the Transportation Department.

 

As passenger traffic has steadily risen, airlines have been disciplined about not adding flights, said Dean Headley, coauthor of the annual Airline Quality Rating report.

 

The airlines also have cut their fleets, reducing the number of spare aircraft available in a pinch. Instead of canceling flights, airlines have turned to prolonging delays, Headley said.

 

(Shanghai Daily February 9, 2007)