From Patty Davis
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Congress pushes for a way to address growing flight delays, some airlines have begun juggling their schedules in hopes of reducing long backups on runways.
Last year, one in four flights was delayed or canceled, but some airlines say a new effort is helping improve their on-time performance.
American Airlines' Flight 710 from Dallas/Fort Worth to New York's LaGuardia used to leave at 9:16 a.m. It now pulls back at 9:23. Flight 2334 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Chicago O'Hare has been moved from 9:30 a.m. to 9:15.
"What you are saving is maybe two to three minutes, and in some cases 10 to 15 minutes in the taxi-out time," said John Hotard, a spokesman for American Airlines, "because that's where you get the congestion is when you back away from the gate and then you have to go sit in the conga line waiting to take off."
On-time performance up
American also wants to prevent delays at its Chicago hub from rippling to other airports. So flights that begin in Chicago come right back instead of going on to other stops.
American says it has boosted its on-time performance slightly to 80 percent. Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, Georgia, says its on-time performance is up to about 90 percent. But critics say competitive pressures could force the airlines to scrap their new schedules.
"If two airlines agree to schedule responsibly, but two to three others say, 'We're going to move into those slots' -- then we're going to be right back (at Square One) again," said Paul Hudson, executive director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project.
Even if the airlines do find a way to reduce delays, Congress still may get involved. No fewer than 10 bills have been prepared, each developed to try to give passengers new rights when it comes to delays.
