On-time arrivals in March improved by nearly two percentage points in March at Sea-Tac Airport over the airport's 2008 average, a new survey shows.

The report from Portland's FlightStats.com shows Sea-Tac ranked 24th among North America's busiest 40 commercial airports in on-time arrivals in March.

The airport's on-time arrival rate in March was 78.46 percent compared with 76.54 percent in all of 2008.

On-time arrival percentages were improved at most U.S. and Canadian airports this year because of lighter passenger volumes and fewer flights in the air traffic control system.

Oakland anchored the top of the list with an 87.28 percent on-time arrival percentage.

The next four were:

Detroit (DTW) - 85.13%
Salt Lake City (SLC) - 84.98%
Cleveland (CLE) - 84.63%
Cincinnati (CVG) - 84.58%%

At the bottom of the list was Newark's Liberty Airport with a 58.95 percent on-time rate in March.

Even the Easter Bunny is feeling the effects of the recession.

The National Retail Federation is reporting that Easter 2009 will see fewer Peeps, jellybeans and chocolate eggs in fewer Easter baskets, and that consumers will be spending less for Easter celebrations, clothing and gifts.

According to the NRF 2009 Easter Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, the average American consumer will spend $116.59 on Easter candy, gifts, food, decorations and clothing – down from an average of $135.03 in 2008.

The federation anticipates that total Easter spending this year, by American adults 18 and over, will reach $12.73 billion.

The largest single expenditure, the federation says, will be in meal preparation, with the average person spending $37.67 on food, down from $41.09 in 2008. Gifts will be down to $17.30 from $21.42; flowers will reach $7.55, down from $9.11; and candy will decrease to $16.55 from $18.12 last year.

For that new Easter bonnet or holiday outfit, Americans will spend an average of $19.44, down from $23.82.

As to the demographics of Easter spending, the West falls behind the rest of the country in most categories.

Only 74.5 percent people in the West plan to celebrate the holiday, the survey reported, while 83.7 percent of Midwesterners will be hunting for hidden eggs, gathering for a family ham or otherwise marking the day.

Only 35.1 percent of people in the West will be tying the holiday to the purchase of clothing, against 43.1 percent of Southerners. A mere 56 percent of Westerners will be buying Easter gifts, against 60.7 percent of people in the Northeast.

When it comes to candy, however, we in the West come second behind only those in the Northeast. We’ll be spending an average of $18.25, while they spend $22.67.

Still, more Americans will celebrate Easter this year than last, 79.9 percent against 79 percent, the NRF says.

If it seemed there were fewer air travel hassles to plague on your vacation and business trips last year, you were not hallucinating.

A new study from two college professors who track airline quality says there were fewer delays, fewer bumped passengers, less mishandled luggage and fewer consumer complaints about air travel in 2008 than in 2007.

Credit the slowdown in air travel for the improvements. With fewer travelers in the airports and fewer planes in the air, airlines last year were less harried in their efforts to get travelers and their luggage to their destinations at the time promised.

The two professors, Brent Bowen of St. Louis University and Dean E. Headly of Wichita State University, said industry performance was better last year in all major areas they measure.

On-time performance improved from 73 percent ontime in 2007 to 76 percent in 2008. Involuntary denied boardings dropped from 1.14 per 10,000 passengers to 1.10. Mishandled baggage rates fell from 7.01 per 1,000 passengers to 5.19 per thousand. And consumer complaints dropped from 1.42 per 100,000 passengers to 1.15.

Of the 17 domestic airlines the two surveyed, US Airways improved the most. United improved the least.

Here's their ranking of those 16 airlines along with their scores: (Lower numbers are better.)

1. Hawaiian -- .69
2. AirTran -- .84
3. JetBlue -- .90
4. Northwest -- 1.04
5. Alaska -- 1.16
6. Southwest -- 1.23
7. Frontier -- 1.31
8. Continental -- 1.39
9. American -- 1.71
10. US Airways -- 1.77
11. United -- 1.83
12. Delta -- 2.09
13. Skywest -- 2.13
14. Mesa -- 2.29
15. Comair -- 3.03
16. American Eagle -- 3.12
17. Atlantic Southest -- 3.43

SeaTac-base Alaska Airlines improved its scores across the board.

On-time arrivals were 78.3 percent in 2008 compared with 72.4 percent the year before.

Complaints were .45 per 100,000 customers compared with .76 in 2207.

Mishandled baggage rates declined from 6.39 per 1,000 passengers in 2007 to 4.47 per 1,000 last year.

Involuntary denied boadings dropped to .63 per 10,000 passengers from .73 in 2007.

Overall, those better scores raised Alaska from seventh place among domestic carriers in 2007 to fifth in 2008.

The Boeing Co., and its chief rival in the airliner business, Europe's Airbus, are neck-and-neck after the first quarter in the new orders race.

Boeing reports 23 orders for new aircraft, and Airbus reports 22. Airbus reports that its orders are for more money. The European planemaker says it grabbed 54 percent of the orders measured by value compared with Boeing's 46 percent.

On a net orders basis, both companies are much lower. Net orders is the number of new orders minus cancellations.

Airbus says it had 8 net orders in the first three months of the year. Boeing reported -4.

There’s a full agenda this week at the monthly two-day meeting of the State Gambling Commission - slated for Thursday and Friday, April 9 and 10, at the Red Lion Hotel, 2300 Evergreen Park Dr. in Olympia.

Thursday’s public agenda begins at 1:30 p.m. with a report on tribal contributions and an update on legislative actions - including bills that speak to penalties for underage gamblers; the consolidation of the Gambling Commission with the Department of Licensing; an increase to raffle ticket prices; and allowing cities and towns to conduct raffles.

Among rules up for action, look for a proposal to increase the number of games played in a single hand of cards and a proposal to allow remote access to surveillance images.

On Friday, beginning at 9 a.m., commissioners will decide whether to allow an increase – to $500 in one version, $300 in another – in wagering limits in Texas Hold’em poker games.

The commission will also consider, among other items: a petition that asks for the use of “electronic poker tables” that would eliminate the need for a center dealer in poker games; a proposed rule change to allow minors to sell raffle tickets; and a measure concerning offering tips to poker supervisors.

The public is welcome to attend, and time will be allowed for comment during both meetings.

For more information, visit www.wsgc.wa.gov.

Looking to save $130 a year? The May issue of Consumer Reports, on sale today, may have just the answer.

Toilet paper.

“Store brands like Costco’s Kirkland Signature and Walmart’s White Cloud cost roughly half as much as brand-name toilet paper, and scored very good or better for softness and disintegration in Consumer Reports’ tests,” says a release from the magazine.

“Quilted Northern Ultra Plush ($0.29 per 100 sheets) topped the list for its strength and softness. But at just 12 to 15 cents per 100 sheets, Kirkland Signature and White Cloud offer the most performance for the price.”

Either of the two “Best Buy” rolls could save a family of three roughly $130 per year, the release said.

For a look at the article – which goes on to discuss such matters as flushability and tissue strength – check your local newsstand or visit www.consumerreports.org.

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