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More than 26% of last year's flights late. Blame congested skies
As far as airline delays go, 2007 was the second worst year ever, with over a quarter of all US flights arriving late. In December, more than one third of all flights arrived late. Only 2000 was worse, with over 27%.
Rising passenger demand and an industry preference for smaller planes causing congestion in the skies and on runways is to blame, AP reports. Experts say that flight delays will be getting increasingly more common. There is no hope for improvement anytime soon, because airlines continue to replace large planes with smaller ones in order to maximize profit margins by flying with fewer empty seats.
We can expect, once again, that the airlines will just adjust their flights times. If you tell passengers upfront that a flight from Boston to DC takes 4 hours (although it should only take about 1 hour) and you get them there in 4 hours, there is--technically speaking--no delay.
(Photo: NASA - Day In the Life of Air Traffic Over the United States)
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines
