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If you flew out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in November, your flight was probably on time.

85% of domestic flights from CLE departed on time in November 2022, per the latest Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.

That's compared with the national rate of 81%.

The big picture: Nationally, airlines performed admirably throughout autumn 2022, with on-time departure rates at or above 80% from September to November. 

That's up significantly from last summer, when staff shortages and foul weather combined to muck up the complex web that is the air travel system.

Zoom out: Across the cities with Axios Local newsrooms, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport had the best on-time performance in November 2022, at 88%.

Denver — where brutal storms tend to snarl wintertime operations — had the lowest, at 76%.

Yes, but: This dataset doesn't include last December's meltdown at Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, which led to thousands of cancellations and delays nationwide. 

Expect those delays to show up in the next data release, where they'll almost assuredly drag down the systemwide numbers.

"Let me be clear: We messed up," Southwest Airlines COO Andrew Watterson said during congressional testimony last week. "In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operational resilience."

Be smart: Because airlines' systems and routes are so interconnected, problems at one airport or in one region tend to cascade nationwide.

The bottom line: Generally speaking, on-time performance tends to dip in the summer (owing to thunderstorms and the vacation rush) and winter (due to blizzards and holiday crowds) and improve in spring and fall. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove a reference to the number of cities with Axios Local newsrooms.

Hopkins departures were mostly on time in November

Cleveland performed slightly better than the national average

If you flew out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in November, your flight was probably on time.<ul><li>85% of domestic flights from CLE <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="departed on time" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/airline-delays-faa" data-vars-content-id="141e81de-e912-4c71-8ec7-67f7c2e8b6da" data-vars-headline="Hopkins departures were mostly on time in November" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/airline-delays-faa" target="_self">departed on time</a> in November 2022, per the latest Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.</li></ul>

News

Data: ParkScore; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

Cleveland ranks 26th among the 100 largest U.S. cities for its public parks, per the latest report from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a pro-parks nonprofit, Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.

The group rates cities on a variety of metrics, including the percentage of residents who live near a park, the share of city land reserved for parks, parks investment and more; cities are then awarded a "ParkScore."

By the numbers: Cleveland scored 74 out of 100 for access, 32 for acreage, 66 for investment, 60 for amenities and 71 for equity.

Details: Eighty-three percent of Cleveland residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, above the national average of 76%.

The intrigue: Cleveland fell three spots from its ranking in 2022, but TPL noted in a statement that the city’s "slight dip resulted primarily from positive moves by other cities, not changes to the local park system."

Why it matters: Parks confer a wealth of benefits — including, as TPL points out in its latest annual report, significant health boosts.

Parks offer spaces for physical activity and social gatherings, improve visitors' moods, and provide city dwellers a reprieve from noise and air pollution and the effects of climate change.

The big picture: At a national level, parks spending hasn't recovered to pre-Great Recession levels, says TPL senior director for strategy and innovation Linda Hwang.

But that's largely driven by the country's biggest cities — by contrast, many midsize cities are increasing their parks spending.

Zoom in: Cleveland last month announced its first-ever master planning process for the city's parks and recreation amenities.

What they're saying: "This plan is all about access and equity, removing barriers, building community, and creating places and experiences that enrich peoples’ lives," Mayor Justin Bibb said in a statement.

What's next: The landscape architecture firm Olin will be in town next week to visit city parks and rec centers and interview stakeholders, a city hall spokesperson told Axios.

Formal community engagement is likely to begin in late June or early July.

Cleveland falls out of top 25 cities for parks

We rank high on equity and access, but low on acreage

Cleveland ranks 26th among the 100 largest U.S. cities for its public parks, per the latest report from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a pro-parks nonprofit, Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.<ul><li>The group rates cities on a variety of metrics, including the percentage of residents who live near a park, the share of city land reserved for parks, parks investment and more; cities are then awarded a &quot;ParkScore.&quot;</li></ul>

Alex Fitzpatrick

Featured stories

Cleveland falls out of top 25 cities for parks

Hopkins departures were mostly on time in November