Major airlines' performance improved in '02 WASHINGTON (AP) =97 Major airlines arrived on time more and passengers=20 complained less about service last year, thanks to traffic-control changes,= =20 good weather and fewer people flying. The 10 biggest U.S. airlines posted=20 their best on-time record since 1995, when the government started keeping=20 comparable records. Flights on those airlines arrived within 15 minutes of= =20 schedule 82.1% of the time last year, up from 77.4% in 2001, the=20 Transportation Security Administration reported on Monday. During 2002, the Transportation Department received 43% fewer complaints=20 about airline service than in 2001, according to the report. "We haven't=20 had the kind of weather problems in recent years that we had in 2000," said= =20 David Smallen, the transportation statistics bureau spokesman. Weather=20 causes about two-thirds of all delays. One in four flights arrived or departed at least 15 minutes later than=20 scheduled in 2000, when planes were full and storms were frequent. The=20 Federal Aviation Administration has since improved air traffic procedures=20 and some airlines changed their schedules to avoid delays, Smallen said.=20 "When you combine that with cuts in flights the airlines made since 9/11,=20 you're seeing tremendous improvement," he said. Many big airlines have=20 dropped flights because they're making less money, and two declared=20 bankruptcy last year. As a result, there were 12% less flights in 2002 than= =20 the 5,967,780 in 2001. The report doesn't identify the causes of flight=20 delays. In June, airlines will have to tell the government why flights are= =20 late. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribscape.com/tamnakthai/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************