Mar 27, 2023 - News
December's air travel crisis felt at Columbus airport
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Timely air travel was improving last fall before the year ended disastrously, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Behraj report.
- Overall, nearly 72% of domestic flights departed John Glenn International Airport on time in December — an 11% decline from November and 14% from October, per the latest Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.
Yes, but: CMH performed better than the national average of about 69%.
- Typically the average is closer to 75-80% in a normal month, though it does dip in summer and winter.
Flying the news: Southwest Airlines' epic holiday meltdown skewed numbers nationwide, along with a dangerous winter storm during Christmas week.
- Just over 63% of Southwest flights departed on time from Columbus in December and about 57% did nationwide.
What we're watching: All indications so far suggest Southwest has recovered nicely, though BTS data reports lag by about three months.
Of note: Air Canada, Breeze and Vacation Express airlines depart from Columbus but aren't included in BTS data.