“Particularly worrisome is the spike in the number of chronically late flights — those that are late 70 percent or 80 percent (or even 100) percent of the time. Every airline has at least a few of these flights on their schedules. Passenger-rights groups are pushing for regulations that would require the airlines to “label” these flights as chronically late so consumers can avoid them — or at least know what they are getting into when they book a ticket….
As troubling as the latest figures on flight delays may be, they don’t tell the whole story. The delay statistics don’t include diverted flights, or flights that are held on the tarmac for hours, then return to the gate. Last year, more than 16,000 flights were diverted to other airports, and one in 20 flights was canceled.” - National Public Radio