Posted on: Friday, December 3, 2004

Hawaiian still best in on-time arrivals

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaiian Airlines ranked as the nation's most punctual airline for the 12th consecutive month in October, with a 95.3 percent on-time performance.

For the year, Hawaiian, which operates more than 100 daily flights, averaged 93.3 percent on-time arrivals, compared to the industry average of 78.5 percent.

U.S. Department of Transportation standards for on-time service requires flights to arrive within 15 minutes of schedule.

Second to Hawaiian was JetBlue Airways, which reported an 83.1 percent on-time performance for October.

In addition, Hawaiian tied with JetBlue and Continental Airlines for the lowest percentage of canceled flights in October at 0.1 percent, representing only five cancellations out of 3,856 total flights.

The airlines also ranked fourth in handling baggage in October, with 2.63 mishandled baggage reports per 1,000 passengers.

"HAL once stood for 'Hawaiian's Always Late.' Not any more," said the airline's trustee, Joshua Gotbaum, in a statement. "Everyone at Hawaiian has pulled together to create one of the best airlines in the nation. And, month after month, the DOT reports confirm it."

The airline is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.