Danny Katz is Executive Director of CoPIRG, the Colorado Public Interest Research Group and the CoPIRG Foundation
New report: On-time arrivals in 2025 hit worst level since 2014
Our key findings:
- Among flights on the 10 largest U.S. airlines and their marketing partners that weren’t canceled or diverted in 2025: One in nine flights arrived 45 minutes or more late, and one in 12 flights arrived 60 minutes or more late.
- The number of domestic tarmac delays of three hours or more soared by 63% compared with 2024.
- Passenger volume actually decreased in 2025. That’s happened only three other times in the last quarter-century: in 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; during the 2008-09 financial meltdown; and in COVID-ravaged 2020.