Longer flight delays loom for passengers

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Airline flight delays are bad, but get ready for even worse, U.S. officials say.

Statistics compiled by flight-tracking services show the delays are among the worst ever recorded, The Washington Post said. The first five months of this year were the worst in terms of delays, with 26 percent of flights late or scratched, since the U.S. Transportation Department began keeping such records in 1995.

Travel analysts said they would not be surprised if data released next week by the Transportation Department shows the month of June and the first half of the year set records in flight delays.

Only 69 percent of flights arrived on time in June, FlightStats said, the Post reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the delays can be blamed on congestion and bad weather, as well as increased security. But former airline executives accuse the FAA of taking too long to develop and deploy the new satellite navigation systems, the Post said, and labor unions say the airlines have just cut too many jobs.