It turns out that the main cause of flight delays and cancellations since the start of COVID-19 the pandemic is In fact the airlines themselvesaccording new data from the Federal Aviation Administration. The data is a good way to contextualize the growing tension between the FAA and the airline industry as a whole. It can also be seen as a finger-pointing prequel between the two entities we’re going to see this summer.
So what do the numbers tell us? Well, right off the bat we can see that the thefts were delayed very regularly. Between January 2019 and February 2023, 1.6 million flights were collectively delayed by 5.3 million hours. It’s over 605 years of delays who were mainly caused by problems under the control of the airline such as maintenance and crew issues, aircraft cleaning and baggage loading, according to the data.
FAA data also shows that 1.3 million flights — approximately 4.7% of all flights during the period — were delayed in January 2023 when a problem within the national aviation system caused a serious computer failure. It was a nightmare for everyone involved.
We can also see that a whopping 1.5 million flights were delayed by another plane arriving late, but that doesn’t explain Why these inbound flights were delayed. If I was a punter, I guess the blame lies somewhere within the airline.
Up to 50% off
Wayfair Grill Sale & More
Save money
If you want or need a grill to cook sizzling steaks or delicious hamburgers, there is an offer for you. Wayfair’s Grill & More Sale is live right now, and for the next 5 days, you can save up to 50% on grills from Char-Broil, Weber, KitchenAid, and more.
The craziest statistic in the FAA data, however, is one that will annoy seasoned travelers. You know how your airline blamed a weather problem for a delay? A little fog, a little turbulence or a rain? Yeah, youhey you were almost certainly lying. FAA data shows bad weather accounted for just 178,000 delays during the period. This equates to 0.65% of flights and likely includes delays due to harsh winter conditions.
In terms of cancellations, more than 776,000 flights got the box. This represents 2.8% of all thefts. another 63,000 — or 0.2% — have been diverted. We can’t know exactly why these things happened, since the FAA hasn’t released this information.
I know what you’re thinking. It’s a shit-tons of flights. There must be more planes in the air than ever. Well, the good news is that it’s not. Above 50 months referenced in the study21.9 million flights — or 79.8% — arrives on time. This actually matches the on-time arrival statistics of the previous decade. So stealing really sucks, but it sucks just as much as usual. I guess you can find comfort in that.
