O’Hare Airport improves on-time rate for second month in a row

For the second month in a row, O’Hare International Airport boosted its on-time arrival and departure rates, federal data released Thursday showed.

Despite the improvement, O’Hare’s performance during the month of April still placed it toward the bottom of the nation’s major airports, data from the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics indicated.

The developments emerged as O’Hare faces record complaints about jet noise created by new flight paths that were supposed to improve delays in all kinds of weather. The big switch debuted in October 2013.

Data released Thursday showed O’Hare ranked 26 out of 29 among the nation’s major airports in April on-time departures. Just over 79 percent of O’Hare flights left on time that month – up from 74.79 percent in April of 2014.

O’Hare’s arrival record was stronger. There it ranked 21 of 29 airports, with an 80.59 percent on-time rate — up from 73.85 percent a year earlier. But O’Hare’s year-to-date performance through April was still naggingly low, placing it second from the bottom in departures and fourth from the bottom in arrivals.

Midway Airport also saw strong improvement. Midway zoomed from a 67.35 percent on-time departure rate last April – worst among 29 airports — to a 79.84 percent one this April, when it ranked 22 in departures. Midway’s on-time arrivals jumped from 77.74 percent last April to 83.76 percent this April, landing it at No. 11 for on-time arrivals.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics considers a flight “on time” if it arrives or departs a gate within less than 15 minutes of the time scheduled.