I-Team: Chicago flights take off late 40 percent of time
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The ABC7 I-Team has the latest on-time performance data for Chicago's airports, and it isn't good news for travelers.
According to the stats, this won't be news to about four in 10 air travelers who fly out of Chicago. Midway and O'Hare have the dismal distinction of being last among major U.S. airports in on-time departures so far this year: 40 percent take off late, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
This is what should happen at the airport: planes taking off on time. But as many of the 50 million monthly U.S. passengers learn the hard way, it doesn't always work that way. In fact, if you flew out of O'Hare or Midway since January, there was only a 60 percent chance that your flight left on time.
According to the federal on-time rankings for top U.S. airports in 2014 compiled by the Department of Transportation, Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway were back-to-back at the bottom, ranking No. 28 and 29, with a little more than 60-percent of O'Hare planes leaving on time, beating only cross-town Midway Airport, which is at the very bottom with 57 percent on-time departures.
The airports here reflect a downward performance trend at the nation's largest airlines with on-time flights down almost two percent compared to a year ago.
One thing was up: complaints to federal transportation officials, by more than 25 percent over a year ago.
At Midway, on-time performance has been steadily falling the past five years, but it is O'Hare that federal records show can boast the single flight with the worst record in February: American Eagle 2731, Chicago to St. Louis, was significantly late more than 90 percent of the time.
US Dept of Transportation data re: departure timeliness at top airports
