That old cliché that goes ‘Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it’ isn’t necessarily true. You can survey storms and – assuming you’re not locked into a non-refundable fare – choose to planes at an airport that’s less affected.
The planet’s third-busiest airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International, was manifestly affected by Mother Nature this April. New statistics just released by FlightStats show that just 52.4 percent of DFW’s flights were on time during the weather-ravaged month. If you had a choice, you’d have been far better off connecting at Minneapolis/St. Paul, where a significantly higher 82.6 percent of flights pushed back from the gate on time.
Where you connect is a moving target. Like the weather, it varies. DFW is a marvelously efficient airport, with more runways that MSP. It’s just that this April it happened to be on the wrong side of geography.
The on-time record of the major carriers that hub at these airports reflects the effects of weather too. FlightStats says 73.7 percent of American Airlines’ flights were on time in April. AA’s main hub is at Dallas/Fort Worth. By contrast, 78.78 percent of Delta Air Lines flights were on time. It operates a major hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul.
More ‘hub effect’ evidence? FlightStats says 89 percent of Alaska Airlines’ flights were on time in April. Its major hub is Seattle. Nearly 85 percent of Sea-Tac’s flights were on time that month. Indeed, the Top Five on-time North American airports were all out west. Here they are, along – when applicable – with their major airlines:
- Vancouver (86.07 percent. WestJet and Air Canada)
- Seattle (84.97 percent. Alaska)
- Salt Lake City (84.17 percent. Delta)
- Portland, Ore. (84.01 percent. Horizon Air)
- Minneapolis/St. Paul (82.6 percent. Delta)
The Bottom Five airports this April?
- New York Kennedy (63.94 percent. JetBlue, Delta, American)
- New York LaGuardia (60.73 percent)
- Chicago O’Hare (57.42 percent. American, United)
- Miami (52.72 percent. American)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (52.04 percent. American)
Heavy thunderstorm and violent tornadoes ripped the nation’s mid-section in April, eviscerating sections of the south and wreaking widespread, unprecedented damage. FlightStats says the Top 40 North American airlines canceled just over 17,000 flights in the year’s fourth month – up from 12,600 in March. On-time arrival performance for the flights that weren’t axed was 73.76 percent. That’s down from 77.05 percent in March and 74.46 percent in February.
Even more evidence Mother Nature may impact the way you travel? Consider Japan, hit by an earthquake, subsequent tsunami, and nuclear crisis earlier this year. Although FlightStats doesn’t attribute their on-time performance to decreased passenger loads and curtailed flights, Tokyo’s two commercial airports had superb on-time records in April. 84.71 percent of Haneda’s flights were on time, and 87.54 percent of Narita’s. They ranked first and third best respectively.
While we can’t predict earthquakes, it doesn’t hurt to keep your eye on the weather – not just at your airports of origin and destination, but at those where you plan to change planes. Altering plans at the last minute may well cost more money, but it could also save you a considerable time.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: dvsfurby)
