Jul. 8--When it comes to its planes arriving on-time, Northwest Airlines is not so good but not so bad.

That's according to the latest statistics released this week by the federal government.

In a wide-ranging report covering commercial airline performance in May, Eagan-based Northwest ranked 11th among the 19 carriers, with 78.9 percent of its flights arriving on-time.

Hawaiian Airlines led the way at 88.9 percent. At the bottom: American Airlines at 67.3 percent.

Flights leaving Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport departed on-time in May 86.2 percent of the time. That's third-best among the major airports.

"While I'd love for [the Metropolitan Airports Commission] to be able to take credit, on-time departures are really a function of airline management, air traffic control and weather," said MAC spokesman Patrick Hogan today.

"With completion of MSP's expansion, we have sufficient runways and aircraft gates to keep delays to a minimum," Hogan said. "It's how those facilities are used and how well the weather cooperates that make all the difference."

When it comes to passengers and their baggage, Northwest was among the best in May. The airline's passengers made 2.97 mishandled baggage reports for every 1,000 passengers. That ranked second among the nation's airlines and well below the industry-wide figure of 4.59 complains for every 1,000 passengers.

As for canceling flights in May, Northwest was tied for sixth best with 0.4 percent scrubbed. American Eagle had the most trouble, having 2.8 percent of its flights canceled. Frontier came in first, having to cancel just 0.1 percent of its fights.

Paul Walsh --612-673-4482

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Story Source: Star Tribune, Minneapolis