The Biz Buzz

The News Tribune Business Team will keep you updated on what's happening in the South Sound and beyond. Check here for news about economic development, aerospace, shopping and much more.

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Got something to say? Here's the place to say it. We welcome your comments on what's going on in business in the South Sound that we should be discussing, reporting or analyzing here on our blog or in the pages of The News Tribune.

Contributors

Marce Edwards is the business editor. She has been at The News Tribune for seven years and has written about technology and big businesses in the South Sound including Weyerhaeuser and Russell. Before moving to Tacoma, she worked at The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She is a Northwest native who likes to garden and refuses to use an umbrella. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and two kids.

C.R. Roberts is a Tacoma native. Before joining The News Tribune, he worked as a freelance writer and part-time cowhand on a cattle ranch in Northern Idaho. He writes about small business, personal finance and other business issues.

John Gillie writes about the aerospace and airline industries, commercial development and consumer issues. During his 30-year-tenure at The News Tribune he has covered issues as diverse as the Native American fishing rights disputes, crime and the courts, the wood products industry and energy. He lived in Tacoma with his family for 25 years, but now lives in Kent because his wife heads a five-state non-profit foundation headquartered in Ballard, and it only seemed a sensible compromise to make considering their workplaces are 40 miles apart.

Kelly Kearsley has been a business reporter at The News Tribune since 2005. She covers the Port of Tacoma and international trade. Being born and raised in Spokane she’s used to living in cities with inferiority complexes and, in fact, prefers it. Prior to working at The News Tribune, she spent three years as a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon and another year working stints for The Associated Press and Seattle Times. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and miniature schnauzer.

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Get the most up-to-date news, insights and analysis of Tacoma, Pierce County and South Puget Sound business.
Friday, June 6th, 2008
Posted by John Gillie @ 12:59:58 pm

You've just paid $800 for a roundtrip to Houston. You've forked over $40 each way to check two bags, $20 to make your reservation at the counter, $5 for snack box on board and $30 extra for an aisle seat.

Isn't there something to break up the monotony of all this bad news about traveling?

Yes, and it comes from Portland's FlightStats.com, which tracks airline on-time performance across the country.

In spite of the economic crisis that's hit the airline industry this year, or perhaps because of it, flights are improving their on-time performance nationwide.

According FlightStats figures, flights were on time 79 percent of the time in May nationwide, up for the fourth month running. In 2007, the average for on-time arrivals across the country was 72.6 percent.

On-time performance at Sea-Tac Airport in May was slightly better than the national average at 79.72 percent. That compares favorably with average at Sea-Tac for all of last year of 73.39 percent.

SeaTac's Horizon Airlines recorded the third-best on-time arrival performance of the 39 North American airlines that FlightStats tracks.

Horizon flights were on time (within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time) 87.69 percent in May.

Sun Country Airlines posted the best record with an 88.09 percent on-time performance in May. Hawaiian Airlines was second with 88.04 percent.

Horizon's brother airline, Alaska, was on time 79.35 percent of the time.

Categories: General, Aerospace, Tourism