Airlines show improvment in 2009

In the annual Air Travel Consumer Report, the on-time performance rate among the nation's largest 19 carriers, at 79.5 percent, was the highest rate since 2003.

In the previous year, 2008, the performance rate for on-time flights was 76 percent. The best year on record was 2003 with an 82 percent on-time rate.

Baggage handling, measured by number of mishandled baggage complaints per 1,000 passengers, dropped to 3.91 in 2009 compared with 5.26 in 2008. The DOT said it was the lowest baggage mishandling rate since 2004, when the rate was 4.91.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).