Airlines improve flight performance

The government says U.S. airlines are doing better at staying on schedule.

The Transportation Department said Tuesday that the airlines averaged an 80 percent on-time arrival rate in March, better than February and better than March 2009.

Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines had the best on-time ratings. JetBlue, ExpressJet and American Airlines had the worst.

Your chances increased for getting bumped -- kicked off a flight even though you held a confirmed reservation because the airline sold too many tickets. For the first three months of this year, the airlines bumped 23,380 passengers, or 1.73 for every 10,000 travelers. That rate is more than one-fourth higher than it was in the first quarter of 2009.

Southwest carries the most U.S. passengers and bumped the highest number of passengers, although four airlines had higher rates of bumping: ExpressJet, Continental, US Airways and -- last by a wide margin -- American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines.

-- Associated Press

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