Destination Guide

In good news for frequent fliers and business travelers, U.S. airlines' 2009 on-time performance continues to improve over 2008, according to FlightStats. Its August numbers for this year showed the top 36 U.S. air carriers as having a combined on-time performance level of 79.3 percent, up from 77.3 percent last year at this time. It is also an increase from the 77.6 percent level the previous month.

Which airline carriers are your best bets for punctual flights? The top 10 U.S. airlines for on-time performance in August were:

• Hawaiian Airlines (94.35 percent)
• Freedom Airlines (89.57 percent)
• Horizon Air (88.25 percent)
• Frontier Airlines (88.2 percent)
• Chautauqua Airlines (86.1 percent)
• Alaska Airlines (85.33 percent)
• Shuttle America (84.56 percent)
• Allegiant Air (84.28 percent)
• Southwest Airlines (83.61 percent)
• SkyWest Airlines (83.44 percent)

Alaska, Southwest Airlines and Continental were among the other top runners who surpassed the 80 percent on-time level.

When attending or planning your next meeting or conference, taking into account an airline's performance may help you plan a smoother trip. You can always check out the main airport—and airline—information of destination cities across the country at the Cvent Destination Guide to get started.