Travelers that need to get somewhere on time shouldn't take a connecting flight through China, according to CNN. FlightStats, a U.S.-based air travel information service, has found that airports in mainland China are the world's worst for on-time departures and arrivals.
The report also finds that the overall performance of airports in China has become worse in the last year. Beijing Capital International Airport sits at the bottom of the list, with just 18.3 percent of flights leaving on time and 42 percent of flights suffering delays of 45 minutes or more. The second worst airport on the list is Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, with only 24 percent of flights leaving on time during June.
"None of China's provincial airports surveyed by FlightStats - including Guangzhou, Kunming, Nanjing, Chengdu, Changsha and Urumqi - could manage to get half of their flights on time," according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
Japan, on the other hand, led with airports with the best on-time performance. Osaka airport had an on-time departure rate of 95.88 percent and Haneda Airport in Tokyo had an on-time departure rate of 95 percent.
The top performing airports in North America were Honolulu, with 86.29 percent, Vancouver, with 86.18 percent, and Salt Lake City, with 85.55 percent on-time departure.
In Europe, the top airports were Amsterdam, with 83.52 percent, Munich, with 83.35 percent, and Vienna, with 82.15 percent on-time departures.
China's airlines also performed poorly in comparison to regional and global counterparts.
"Major international airlines delivered 75.85 percent of their flights to the arrival gate within 15 minutes of schedule in June, down from May's 80.70 percent," according to the FlightStats report summary. "Six major international carriers, South African, Gulf Air, ANA, Japan Airlines, Finnair and Tyrolean Airways, delivered over 90 percent of their flights on time."
In comparison, China United Airlines had only 27 percent of its flights arrive on time, while national carriers Air China and China Southern also reported a large number of flight delays.
The top performing North American carrier was Hawaiian Airlines, followed by Alaska Airlines, Air Canada and Delta Air Lines.
Top performing European airlines were Binter Canarias, Malmo Aviation and KLM Cityhopper.
Top performing Asian carriers were Air Busan and J-Air.
China blames its poor performance on "excessive military control of airspace and poor urban planning," according to the South China Morning Post.
"Nearly 80 percent of China's airspace has been reserved for military use," the Hainan Airlines official was quoted as telling the paper. "In other countries, such as the U.S., the situation is exactly the opposite."
Air travel in China has more than quadrupled in China, along with rising incomes and cheaper ticket prices. The growth has contributed to routine delays, poor service and cranky passengers that have led to air rage incidents, video footage of which is often shown on Chinese television.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
