There are so many different things to consider when you are booking airline tickets for a flight. There is shopping around for the best price, then of course you want to pick the best seat in the house, and you also need to factor in the time of day you’ll be departing and arriving.
On my recent flight to Italy, I experienced first hand what it is like to have an airport delay. A pretty big one, in fact. I was relatively lucky, because I did not have a connecting flight on the other end.
But many people, on a daily basis, are not so lucky. Being delayed during travel is stressful enough, but then toss missing a connecting flight in the mix and it throws your whole universe out of whack. Not to mention your blood pressure.
So, I am going to go out on a limb and add yet another thing to research when booking with an airline and a specific flight.
Their on time record.
I recently came across an article on which airlines do a better job of getting you there on-time. The article also provided a link to the DOT report, which lists more specifics on highest on-time arrivals, most frequently delayed flights, longest tarmac delays and highest number of canceled flights.
From the info we gather that American Airlines has the honor of both the worst on time record, and the most cancelled flights. Don’t think I’ll be flying American any time soon.
I think this information could be a helpful tool for someone like me, who finds travel stressful. If the odds show there is a good chance my plans may have a huge monkey wrench thrown at them, I think it would be wise for me to steer clear from the problems, if possible.
Another tool helpful in avoiding delays is Travelocity.
I am not advocating for you to purchase tickets from them (unless of course, it is the best deal) but they have a tool that allows you to see each flight’s on-time record before booking.
I also have no idea how accurate their data is, or how they collect it, but if faced with two comparable flights and one has a bar that shows the on-time record as being 53% and the other option’s showing 91%, which one would you be more apt to book? Yeah, it’s a no brainer.
Here is an example:
Click on the image to see it in full size. Notice the price is the same for all the airlines , but the on-time records vary from 51% to 97%. I don’t know about you- but armed with this info, I’d be picking the flight that had a 97% on-time record. Especially since the price is the same.
So, next time you’re ready to book your next flight, consider reading the most recent DOT press release and comparing your flights in Travelocity before booking.
It may save you valuable time and aggravation in the long run!