San Francisco International Airport Ranks Last In On-Time Service

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – San Francisco International Airport has received a dubious distinction as it was ranked last in the United States in March in terms of on-time arrivals and departures.

The rankings from the Research and Innovative Technology Administration Bureau of Transportation Statistics found that SFO's on-time arrival performance was at 63 percent for March, with on-time departures at 71 percent.

"Normally, we can land 60 planes an hour on a clear day," said airport spokesman Mike McCarron. "But when we lose visibility, we can only land 30 planes. That affects on-time performance and it's an unfortunate situation the way the runways are configured right now."

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

The rankings of the 20 busiest airports in the country put Dallas/Ft. Worth at number one for on-time arrivals and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport number one for on-time departures.

McCarron said he was not surprised by the figures given the wet weather SFO had in March, but also believes that changes could be on the horizon.

"We're hoping some new technology that is coming down the pipe will help us out," he said.

Among the possibilities is the potential in the next decade to develop new ways of tracking aircraft, which would eliminate the need for such a wide separation of planes in bad weather.

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