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Airlines Are Actually Getting Better, a New Study Says

By
Tara John
Tara John
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By
Tara John
Tara John
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 10, 2017, 8:39 AM ET

U.S. airlines are losing fewer bags, bumping less passengers off flights and are better at arriving on time, according to a report due to be released on Monday.

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The Airline Quality Rating report by Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which serves as a benchmark for the industry, found that the percentage of flights that arrived on time or close enough in 2016 rose to 81.4% in 2016. The annual report, which has been tracking airlines for 27 years, also found that the rate of bags being stolen, lost or delayed dropped 17% and the risk of being bumped off a flight fell by 18%, the Associated Press reports.

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“A big reason why we saw fewer travelers bumped from flights is because the leaders of these airlines have changed their philosophy in recent years,” the report’s co-author Dean Headley, associate professor at Wichita State University, told CNBC. “They no longer have the attitude that bumping a passenger is ok because there’s not another customer around the corner.”

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Airlines also saw fewer complaints filed with the government. Complaints rose only for Hawaiian and Virgin America. Researchers for the report used information compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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