Merger kinks slow down Delta in August

Delta Air Lines had among the worst delay and cancellation rates in the airline industry in August, as it suffered from maintenance delays due to the combination of aircraft fleets in its merger with Northwest Airlines.

Atlanta-based Delta had the third-highest rate of flight cancellations in August among 18 carriers ranked by the U.S. Transportation Department report, with 1.6 percent of its flights canceled in the month. The two carriers with higher cancellation: Delta regional subsidiary Comair and one of its regional partners, Pinnacle Airlines.

“No question, summer was tough,” Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson said at a recent event for flight attendants. “The root cause of what we had over the summer was maintenance delays... I think it was a little bit of a dissynergy with the merger. It’s probably one that I did not adequately anticipate.”

He said the maintenance delays were due to cross-fleeting after Delta’s 2008 merger with Northwest, because mechanics were not as familiar with the planes. It was the first summer of full integration, said Delta spokesman Anthony Black, adding that the company has since added staff and boosted training.

Delta ranked 16th among 18 carriers for on-time arrivals, with 77.4 percent of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule in August, ahead of only JetBlue and Comair. AirTran Airways, which has its largest hub in Atlanta, ranked 11th in on-time and had the 7th lowest cancellation rate.

Tarmac delays lasting three hours or longer have dropped significantly since new penalties for such delays went into effect. Delta had the second highest rate of tarmac delays lasting two hours or longer, according to the DOT report, with only US Airways reporting a higher rate.

AirTran Airways, which has its largest hub in Atlanta, ranked 11th in in-time arrivals and had the 7th lowest cancellation rate.

On-time arrival percentage: How the nation’s biggest carriers fared

1. Hawaiian 95.6

2. Alaska 88.7

3. Continental 87.1

4. United 85.1

5. US Airways 84.9

6. Frontier 83.8

7. Mesa 83.7

8. ExpressJet 83.1

9. Southwest 82.3

10. Pinnacle 81.7

11. AirTran 81.1

12. American 80.7

13. Atlantic Southeast 80.3

14. SkyWest 80.3

15. American Eagle 79.5

16. Delta 77.4

17. JetBlue 77.1

18. Comair 76.4

All Airlines 81.7