Flights from small communities to large airport hubs are more likely to be canceled and have longer delays, a U.S. Department of Transportation report released Monday said.
The report said smaller communities may be more susceptible to flight disruptions because aircraft serving them have restricted capabilities in bad weather, smaller airports have less sophisticated navigational technology and airlines don’t usually keep spare aircraft or crews there.
The report looked at five large airport hubs, including Denver International Airport. Small communities included Lincoln, Neb., and Butte, Mont.
The percentage of flights delayed was similar between flights from small and large communities, according to the report, which focused on flights in January 2005.
But the average length of arrival delay on flights to large hubs was longer from small communities. For flights to Denver from large hubs, the arrival delay was 56 minutes, and from small communities it was 66 minutes.
The percentage of flights canceled to Denver also was higher from small communities – 4.4 percent from small communities and 1.7 percent from large ones.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-820-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
