Delays in air travel persist, worsen

— -- Air travelers buffeted by record flight delays last summer have seen little relief this year despite a broad government effort to ease congestion.

At two of the nation's most prominent airports — Chicago's O'Hare and New York's LaGuardia — delays have worsened.

Statistics though July 20 illustrate how vulnerable the air-traffic system remains to gridlock even as high fuel prices and airline financial woes have taken the spotlight off flight delays, government and industry officials say. The problem may ease by the end of the year because most carriers vow steep schedule cuts starting in the fall.

Across the nation, 72% of flights arrived on time through July 20, less than 1 percentage point better than the same period in 2007.

Congestion in the New York region, which causes three-quarters of delays across the USA, remains formidable. Barely six flights in 10 have arrived on time this year at New York's three major airports, according to FlightStats, which tracks flights.

Among the busiest 20 airports, only O'Hare and San Francisco recorded delays approaching those in New York. Several other large airports, such as Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston Bush and Charlotte, showed improvements over 2007.

The data contain some bright spots. Longer delays have declined markedly in New York this year. There were 13% fewer flights that arrived more than 45 minutes late in the region this year compared with 2007, according to FlightStats.

Government efforts to ease delays appear to have helped at Newark and John F. Kennedy airports.

Michael Sammartino, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) director of air-traffic operations, attributes the problems at LaGuardia to congestion and its close proximity to other airports. Delays at one airport quickly ricochet to the others, he says.

To ease crippling delays around New York, the Department of Transportation (DOT) capped the number of flights, pressured airlines to rearrange schedules and promised improvements.