Gov’t says 5 flights violated tarmac rule in May as airlines’ on-time performance falls

Gov’t says 5 flights violated tarmac rule in May

NEW YORK — The government says there were 5 flights stuck on the tarmac for three hours or more in May, the first month under a new rule banning lengthy tarmac delays.

That compares with 35 in May 2009. United Airlines operated four of the five flights.

Overall the on-time performance of U.S. carriers declined in May from the same month a year ago.

US Airways was the most successful major airline in getting travelers to their destinations on time, 85.3 percent of the time. Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines had the highest on-time rates overall in May.

Comair, which operates as Delta Connection, had the worst ranking in May with 67.1 percent of its flights arriving on-time.