BTS Indicators Report Shows Decline In Late and Cancelled Flights

Contact BTS 06-01 David Smallen 202-366-5568

Tuesday, April 3, 2001 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released its monthly Transportation Indicators report showing declines in the percentage of late, canceled and diverted airline flights from January 2000 to January 2001.

The seventh Transportation Indicators reports that late arrivals were down 2.7 percent in January, compared to a year earlier. Despite the drop, almost one-fourth of all flights arrived late while 3.3 percent of flights were canceled, a decline of almost 2 percent from the previous January.

Transportation Indicators is a monthly update of critical transportation information that details the impact of transportation on the nation’s economy and society.

Dr. Ashish Sen, BTS Director, said, "The Bureau of Transportation Statistics is providing Transportation Indicators on a monthly basis to help provide the information that will lead to more informed transportation decisions in the public and private sectors. The role of BTS is to collect information and make it available."

Transportation Indicators provides information on more than 90 trends in the areas of safety, mobility, economic growth, the human and natural environment, and national security. The monthly report, which is available at www.bts.gov, provides information to address specific transportation issues and to assist in the effort led by BTS to make transportation information more accurate, reliable, and timely. Updated reports will be available on the BTS website the fourth week of every month.

Other trends highlighted in this month's Transportation Indicators are:

• Inland waterway shipments of petroleum and chemicals were down 7 percent in February from a year earlier while shipments of food and farm products were up 14 percent and coal and coal products shipments were up 9 percent.
• Air carrier operating expenses rose more rapidly than revenues from the third quarter of 1999 to the third quarter of 2000 as real return on assets dropped to 2.4 percent.
• New orders for transportation equipment in January were down nearly 24 percent from December—the second largest monthly decline in 10 years.
• Business investment in transportation equipment dropped more than 12 percent from the third quarter of 2000 to the fourth quarter.
• Sales of medium and heavy trucks dropped nearly 30 percent from February 2000 to February 2001, part of an overall decline in car and truck sales.
• Transportation energy consumption rose less than 2 percent from November 1999 to November 2000 as transportation energy use per dollar of Gross Domestic Product continued a long-term decline.
• Net imports of petroleum rose nearly 21 percent in January from a year earlier.

Continual updating of information on trends will help in developing forecasts for the future, both within the Department and outside. The monthly report will also help transportation decision-makers spot changes that might require rapid action.