Originally Posted by
ethernal
First of all, A14 is a pretty universal reference for on-time arrivals used by pretty much every global reporting agency. Second, data without a reference point is absolutely useless.
US airlines are/were pre-COVID absolutely comparable to international airlines. Here's the
2019 Cirium Report
A
single US airline, in 2019 when it actually had its act together, was able to claw into third place.
Originally Posted by
ethernal
It doesn't change the fact that not all regions have equal congestion. APAC and LATAM for example still have less congested airports on average. I understand banked hubs can drive delays, but for the most part congested airports are an exogenous factor for airlines - especially given that all of the most congested airports in the US are not mega hubs for single airlines (possibly excepting EWR, but that still suffers from NYC airspace congestion spillover). Similarly, not all regions have similarly unpredictable weather (although some regions are even worse than the US as well).
Like I said, the congestion is caused by the way US airlines run their operations. Cut frequency, add capacity, reduce the number of overall flights, and this wouldn't be an issue. Banked hubs don't help the situation, but they're a more micro issue.
Originally Posted by
ethernal
You're joking right? There is a reason why Delta doesn't like to cancel flights: it is the single biggest killer of NPS based on their data. A 12 hour or even 20 hour delayed flight is better than a cancel. Why? Because unless you are a top-status member, you're now fighting with 150 other passengers to fill the few other available options to get home. Maybe a quick-fingered Diamond does well on cancellations given that VIPR will rebook you with priority, but for a typical flyer during heavy IRROPS, it means long hold times and/or auto-rebooking on either crazy multi-leg itineraries or a flight multiple days in the future. At best you get home at about the same time - and now with the stress of multiple legs and with a crappier seat than before.
I disagree with this. A massively delayed flight helps no one, not even non-status members. Maybe only Delta who enjoys better than realistic stats and gets off the hook for having to provide accommodations to its customers who will now be living in the terminal for a day.