More flight delays, cancellations and complaints on airlines

WASHINGTON — Cancelled and delayed flights are rising on the nation’s leading airlines, and so are consumer complaints.

That’s according to new figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The rate of cancelled flights nearly doubled to 1.6 per cent in April compared to the same month in 2016. Delta Air Lines accounted for nearly half the cancellations — it was crippled for days by a one-day storm in Atlanta.

About 78.5 per cent of flights arrived within 14 minutes of schedule, down from the 84.5 per cent on-time rate in April 2016.