CoPIRG study finds worst U.S. delays since 2014

CoPIRG Foundation and U.S. PIRG Education Fund said on May 19 that U.S. airline reliability deteriorated in 2025 to its weakest level since 2014. Their report, “The Plane Truth 2026,” used federal data from the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and found that both delays and cancellations worsened from 2024. (pirg.org) The Denver Post, citing the study on Tuesday, said nearly a quarter of flights were delayed, diverted or canceled. The findings landed as thunderstorms in North Texas triggered Federal Aviation Administration ground stops that canceled hundreds of flights at two major Dallas-area airports. (aol.com) ### How bad was airline performance in 2025? (keranews.org) The CoPIRG and U.S. PIRG report said 2025 produced the worst on-time arrival rate for U.S. airlines since 2014. The groups said the national on-time arrival rate for the largest U.S. operating airlines was 76.3%, and that one in 12 flights arrived an hour or more late. AOL and other outlets that cited the report said roughly 25% of all flights did not reach their intended destination on time last year. That total included delays, cancellations and diversions and amounted to about 1.66 million affected flights, according to the report’s findings as described in those accounts. (pirg.org) ### What data did the study use? The May 19 CoPIRG Foundation release said the analysis relied on data from the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The Transportation Department’s Air Travel Consumer Report says its flight-delay section is based on data airlines file monthly with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics under federal reporting rules. (pirg.org) The report was written by Teresa Murray and Lillian Tracy for U.S. PIRG Education Fund, according to the published document. The study said it examined performance among the 10 largest U.S. airlines and their marketing partners. (aol.com) ### What else in the report stood out besides late arrivals? The report said domestic tarmac delays of three hours or more rose 63% from 2024. It also said passenger volume fell in 2025, which CoPIRG described as a rare occurrence outside shocks such as the Sept. 11 attacks, the 2008-09 financial crisis and 2020 pandemic disruptions. (pirg.org) Danny Katz, executive director of CoPIRG Foundation, said in the release that “air travel has been increasingly erratic and stressful” and pointed to a shortage of air traffic controllers, weather, higher fares and baggage fees, and airline schedule changes. Katz also said some passenger protections approved by Congress in 2024 had been stalled or curtailed. (publicinterestnetwork.org) ### What happened in Texas on Tuesday? The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on May 19 because of thunderstorms, KERA reported. KERA said more than 400 flights were canceled across DFW and Dallas Love Field, and the FAA site showed average delays of 30 minutes with a 30% to 60% chance the ground stops could be extended. (pirg.org) WFAA separately reported that both Dallas Love Field and DFW were under ground stops because of thunderstorms and that the stops were expected to last until at least 1 p.m. local time. Those disruptions hit a major connecting region just as carriers head toward the Memorial Day travel period. (pirg.org) ### Where can travelers track the next official data? The U.S. Department of Transportation publishes the Air Travel Consumer Report through its Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics maintains the underlying on-time performance series. CoPIRG’s findings were released on May 19, and federal monthly reporting will provide the next official read on delays, cancellations and tarmac events as summer travel begins. (keranews.org) (transportation.gov) (wfaa.com)