The top U.S. airlines and airports improved upon their Thanksgiving on-time performance this year compared to 2022.According to the latest analysis from leading global travel data provider OAG, the on-time performance of major U.S. airlines improved by one percentage point over last year's holiday, reaching 85.7 percent.OAG examined the on-time performance of all airports and airlines on Thanksgiving Eve (November 22), which is one of the busiest travel days of the year. In 2023, airlines and airports overcame not only crowds but weather disruptions to improve upon last year.According to OAG, nearly 18,400 flights arrived on time—within 15 minutes of the scheduled time—among the major U.S. carriers on November 22. Two airlines—Delta Air Lines (91.5 percent) and United Airlines (90.5 percent)—even achieved over 90 percent on-time performance across their domestic networks.Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines also saw improvements over last year, with on-time performance rates of 89.4 percent and 89.3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Southwest Airlines reported a dip from 88.5 percent in 2022 to 86.9 percent in 2023.American Airlines (84.4 percent), Allegiant Air (84.2 percent), Frontier Airlines (76.2 percent) and Breeze Airways (62.3 percent) all improved upon last year while Sun Country Airlines (84.8 percent), JetBlue (64.8 percent), Spirit Airlines (61.7 percent) and Cape Air (33 percent) all lost ground compared to Thanksgiving Eve 2022.
How To Stop Those Six-Minute Private Jet Flights
10.11.2023 - 21:57 / forbes.com
As airports from Boston to Los Angeles face opposition to expanding facilities, including hangar space, the CEO of Sky Harbour Group, Tal Keinan, gives a compelling argument for allowing development.
You know all those stories you read about Kylie Jenner’s private jet making a six- or 10-minute flight?
What many of those reports miss is that the principals are not on board. Their airplanes are flying empty.
The reason?
There aren't enough parking spots at the airport where they live. Well, it’s not about parking spots for their car. It’s about parking spots for their jets.
In some cases, there isn't any additional space in existing facilities. In other cases, the hangars, built decades ago, weren't constructed to accommodate the larger footprint of today's biggest private jets.
And then there are the risks of parking your jet wingtip-to-wingtip with other aircraft. It's called hangar rash. That's when a private jet bumps into another while it is being towed.
With current supply chain challenges, getting it fixed can keep that jet grounded for weeks and months.
The only option is to park them – or hangar them at a remote airport, usually a five-to-10-minute flight away.
Sk Harbour builds hangar complexes that are set up as row houses, with each tenant – or airplane owner – having their own dedicated hangar, or in some cases, the individual units can be split and shared.
For jet owners, it protects their airplanes against damage; it also means they don't have to wait while other airplanes are moved so their airplanes can be towed to the departure area.
Most of all, he says, Sky Harbour eliminates those ferry flights, which, in addition to the CO2 emissions, are typically executed at low altitudes, generating the noise pollution that airport neighbors cite in opposition to expansion.
Beyond creating jobs in the local economy via the construction, Keinan says the company is also helping two other constituents.
Armed forces veterans have become an integral part of his business development team.
Keinan says the aviation and airport world is a connected community, and many of the airport executives the company needs to reach in order to pitch them are also ex-military. "They know each other, and they speak the same language," he says.
Beyond that, Keinan has just launched Sky Harbour Academy to help train young people so they are qualified to pursue jobs in business aviation.
The starting salary for a line worker is around $65,000, depending on location, he says.
The classes and the apprenticeships are overseen by the experienced crews Sky Harbour employs.
He says the internal response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive. The free four-month program, which started at its Miami Opa Locka Executive
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