O'Hare tangled in poor performance

CHICAGO, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Chicago's O'Hare International Airport ranks last in the nation in on-time flights and first in flight cancellations, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

O'Hare was rated last among the United States' 32 busiest airports in on-time departures and notched more than double the cancellations of the nation's busiest airport last year, the Tribune said.

At O'Hare, 11,434 flights didn't make it off the ground in the first 11 months last year. In the same period, 6,196 flights were canceled at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, now the nation's busiest.

Weather doesn't account for all the differences. Chicago's Midway Airport recorded far superior numbers in both on-time departures and cancellations, the newspaper said.

Midway has the advantage of size -- one runway versus three -- which makes it, "steady and predictable," said FAA traffic manager Bob Flynn.

Midway also handles more linear connecting flights that head in straighter lines to the final destination and O'Hare is plagued by regional flights that don't allow some aircraft and lesser qualified pilots to fly during bad weather.

Fliers, nonetheless, look to Midway to give them a break. On sleet-covered Dec., 11, 550 of O'Hare's 1,300 scheduled flights were canceled, while 35 of Midway's 300 scheduled flights were grounded, the Tribune said.