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More flights running late in latest US figures

WASHINGTON — Airlines are falling behind when it comes to keeping flights on schedule, but fewer passengers are complaining to the government.

The Department of Transportation said Tuesday that 83.5 percent of domestic flights arrived on time in November, down from 84.1 percent in October and 85.7 percent a year earlier.

Hawaiian Airlines claimed its customary spot at the top of the ratings, with about 94 percent of its flights arriving within 14 minutes of schedule. Of the 16 reporting carriers, Frontier, ExpressJet, and Southwest held the bottom three spots; all had on-time ratings below 80 percent.

The 16 airlines canceled 5,082 flights in November, or 1 percent of their schedules.

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There were 15 flights that were held on the ground longer than allowed by federal regulations, but all occurred after a shooting in a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport disrupted operations on Nov. 1.

Consumers filed 23.6 percent fewer complaints about airlines with the Transportation Department; 755 in November, compared with 988 in November 2012. The top complaint was flight problems, including cancellations and delays. Another frequent subject of complaints was bag-handling.

Virgin America, JetBlue Airways, and Delta Air Lines had the best ratings for bags, while American Eagle, AirTran Airways, and ExpressJet had the worst.

On-time rankings

Here are the Transportation Department rankings of the top 10 US airlines for arriving on time during November:

CarrierOn-time arrival rate

1.

Hawaiian Airlines93.9%
2.Endeavor*88.3%
3.Delta Air Lines88.3%
4.Alaska Airlines87.9%
5.US Airways86.1%
6.Virgin America85.7%
7.SkyWest85.4%
8.United Airlines85.0%
9.JetBlue Airways84.8%

10.

AirTran Airways83.9%

*formerly Pinnacle Airlines