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Report: Flight delays worsening this summer

From Kathleen Koch
CNN

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Flight delays are worsening this summer, a report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general found.

In the first half of June, 22 of the nation's major airports had more than a quarter of their flights delayed, according to the survey of airline industry performance released Friday.

At nine airports, the delay rate was more than 30 percent, the survey said. The worst delays were in Atlanta, Georgia, where 35 percent of flights were delayed, it found.

Other airports in the Top 10 were Newark, New Jersey; West Palm Beach, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Louisville, Kentucky; Miami, Florida; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Washington's Dulles International Airport; and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

At those airports, average delays exceeded one hour. But the longest delays -- more than 71 minutes -- occurred at New York's La Guardia Airport.

The increasing delays were blamed on soaring demand, along with the growth in low-cost carriers, flight reductions at airline hub airports and a tripling in the use of smaller regional jets, said the report by Inspector General Ken Mead.

In mid-May, Mead predicted that this summer's delays would equal those of 2000 -- the worst-ever summer.

Traffic this spring already exceeded air traffic that year, with May flight operations up 3 percent over the same period in 2000.

The report also looked at pricing trends, finding that airfares nationwide have declined since 2000. Short-haul fares have fallen an average of 6 percent, while long-haul airfares are down 14 percent, the report said.

Low-cost carriers account for one quarter of all domestic seats sold in the United States. Regional jets make up 32 percent of all scheduled flights, versus 10 percent in 2000.

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