Government says US airlines had best on-time year since 2003; fewer mishandled bags, too

Airline on-time arrivals in 2009 best since 2003

MINNEAPOLIS — A new government report says airlines were on-time for 80 percent of their flights last year. That’s their best record since 2003.

The Transportation Department report released Friday says Hawaiian Airlines had the best record last year, followed by Southwest and Alaska Airlines. United had the best record of the big international carriers.

The month of December was tough, though, with just 72 percent of flights arriving on-time. Major snowstorms made airline operations difficult.

The DOT also said the mishandled baggage rate for last year was the lowest since 2004.