Airlines' on-time flights off in month, U.S. says

5/15/2012

NEW YORK — The nation's largest airlines ran fewer flights on time in March than in the previous month, the Department of Transportation said Monday.

U.S. airlines arrived on time 82.2 percent of the time in March, down from 86.2 percent in February. A hail storm in March led to three planes sitting on the tarmac for more than three hours.

The average on-time rate a year earlier was 79.2 percent.