U.S. airlines recorded a 78.7% on-time rate in January, topping the rate from the same month a year ago.
The rate was also more than 6 percentage points higher than December's on-time rate of 72 percent.
Airlines were also more adept at handling baggage in January, posting a rate of 4.62 reports of mishandled baggage per 1,000 passengers compared to December's 5.18 mark. The rate also bested the January 2009 rate of 5.31 reports per 1,000 passengers.
The airlines with the highest on-time rates in January were Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines (ALK) and United Airlines (UAL). Bringing up the rear of on-time performance measures were AMR's (AMR) American Eagle Airlines, Comair and Pinnacle Airlines (PNCL).
