United Airlines (NYSE:UAL) soared over much of the competition and finished in third place in three key operational categories å- on-time arrivals, fewest cancellations and baggage service å- ranked by the U.S. Department of Transportation.  The Governmentå‘s statistics for March were announced earlier today.

Compared to 2001, United moved up from sixth place to third in on-time arrivals and from ninth place to third in terms of percentage of flights completed. The company’s mishandled bag rate per 1,000 customers was also near the top of the industry, bumping United up from eighth place last year to third.
“Our DOT numbers in March are an unprecedented achievement,” said Andy Studdert, executive vice president and chief operating officer.  “With more than 80 percent of our flights arriving on time, employees continue to build the kind of dependability that customers love.  Our cancellation and mishandled baggage rates put us far above where we were in the rankings last year.”
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