Forbes: America's Worst Airlines

photo courtesy of tizzie

Forbes magazine recently released a list of the country's "Worst Airlines", based upon flight delays, lost bags and cancellations. ASA came in worst, although Forbes noted that air traffic control is more likely to delay flights with fewer passengers, and because ASA flies smaller jets, they're more prone to being delayed. And weather was also a factor - several storms at Dallas affected American Eagle's performance, and Comair, which has a large presence in the Northeast, is also affected by severe weather. (Note that Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Air aren't listed on the 'worst 10' - in fact, they're near the top for on-time performance, mostly due to a lack of severe weather.)

1. Atlantic Southeast Airlines: On-time performance: 63.3% (worst), Baggage mishandling: 16.9 per 1,000 passengers (worst), Cancellations: 4.4% (second worst)
2. Comair: On-time performance: 66.6% (second worst), Baggage mishandling: 11.9 per 1,000 passengers (third), Cancellations: 5.4% (worst)
3. American Eagle: On-time performance: 69% (fourth worst), Baggage mishandling: 13.5 per 1,000 passengers (second), Cancellations: 4.4% (third)
4. Mesa Airlines: On-time performance: 72.5% (seventh worst), Baggage mishandling: 10.1 per 1,000 passengers (fourth), Cancellations: 2.7% (sixth)
5. ExpressJet Airlines: On-time performance: 73% (ninth worst), Baggage mishandling: 8.9 per 1,000 passengers (fifth), Cancellation rating: 3.4% (fourth)
6. US Airways: On-time performance: 68.3% (third worst), Baggage mishandling: 8.6 per 1,000 passengers (seventh), Cancellations: 1.9% (ninth)
7. American Airlines: On-time performance: 69.9% (fifth worst), Baggage mishandling: 5.8 per 1,000 passengers (11th), Cancellations: 2.0% (eighth)
8. United Airlines: On-time performance: 72.4% (sixth worst), Baggage mishandling: 5.4 per 1,000 passengers (12th), Cancellations: 2.1% (seventh)
9. Delta Airlines: On-time performance: 75% (fifth worst), Baggage mishandling: 6.6 per 1,000 passengers (eighth), Cancellations: 1.5% (13th)
10. Alaska Airlines: On-time performance: 72.8% (eighth worst), Baggage mishandling: 6.6 per 1,000 passengers (ninth), Cancellations: 1.2% (15th)