Newark Airport Is #1 For Late Flight Arrivals (Again!)

Newark airport had the worst on-time arrival rate in all the land in 2008, according to the federal DOT, which just released its year-end report [PDF] on flight delays. Go EWR! This is the the fourth time in the past six years Newark won the top prize for tardiness, coming in second place in 2007 and 2004. Last year flights to Newark arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled time only 62.32% of the time; by comparison, the airline industry's overall on-time rate is 76%. (A 2.6% improvement over '07!) For the record, La Guardia was second-worst and JFK ranked fourth. Airlines blame the delays on congested air traffic in the New York region, which is only exacerbated by inclement winter weather and high winds. The study also found that one of the worst flights you could possibly take in '08 was the consistently delayed ExpressJet Airlines Flight 2019 from Hartford to Newark, which was late 93.3% of the time. Of course, when Newark's the destination, why rush? [Via Star-Ledger.]