Austin airport on-time departure rate is improving

Almost 83% of flights out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport departed on time in December 2023, per the latest federal transportation department data.

Why it matters: A lot of factors play into airline departure times, but with the airport the most prominent gateway to this booming city, Austin officials are keen to make the entire travel experience a positive one .

The big picture: More than 83% of domestic U.S. flights departed on time in December 2023.

• That's a big upswing compared to December 2022, when Southwest Airlines' epic meltdown dragged the industrywide average down to about 70% for the month.

Zoom in: Florida's Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (89.5% on time), Salt Lake City International Airport (89.2%) and Hawai'i's Lihue Airport (88.8%) had the best on-time departure performance in December 2023 among airports serving more than 1 million passengers annually.

• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (67.2%) and Baltimore/Washington International (69.5%) had the worst on-time performance.

Between the lines: A variety of factors, from weather to issues at a particular airline, can affect each airport's on-time performance.

• Denver International's numbers really tell that story — it posted an 81.1% on-time rate this past December, compared to 57.7% in December 2022.
• Denver is a major Southwest hub, and bad weather there helped spark the airline's infamous 2022 meltdown.

💭 Our thought bubble: You know you're finally off — and maybe you're a little exhilarated after all the hubbub of getting to and through an airport — when the captain announces, "Cabin crew, prepare for takeoff."

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