Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Special Report

U.S. Department of Transportation

Research and Innovative Technology Administration

May 2008

Sitting on the Runway: Current Aircraft Taxi Times 

Now Exceed Pre-9/11 Experience

by Bruce Goldberg and David Chesser

SR-008

Figure 1: Average Taxi-Out Times by Year

1995

1996

1997

19981999

2000

2001

2002

2003

20042005

2006

2007

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

13.8 14.2 14.4 14.8

15.7 16.2 15.4 15.3 15.3 15.9 15.7 16.0

16.7

Minutes

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance Database.

Several high profi le incidents have focused attention on 

“tarmac delays” that resulted in air travelers spending long 

periods of time aboard aircraft waiting to either take off or 

move to a gate after landing. Taxi-time data collected by 

the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) for the year 

2007 shows: 

• Both outbound and inbound taxi times increased 

noticeably in 2007 and surpassed the previous peak 

reached in 2000. 

• 93 percent of fl ights left the ground within 30 minutes 

of gate departure, compared to 96 percent in 1995.

• Extended taxi times in excess of 2 hours, which occur 

infrequently, increased in recent years but have not 

reached the levels experienced in the 1999 to 2000 

period. 

• The longest taxi-out times occurred during the 

summer. 

• Although fl ight volumes impact taxiing times, other factors also come into play. 

Taxi-Time Data

Any carrier that accounts for at least 1 percent of annual 

domestic scheduled-service passenger revenue is required to report taxi-time data. In 2007, 18 carriers met this 

requirement and these carriers, plus two that voluntarily 

submitted taxi-time data, accounted for about 70 percent 

of all scheduled-service departures while servicing about 

90 percent of all domestic passengers. 

Taxi-Out Times

The average time spent on the ground by these fl ights 

after leaving the gate (taxi-out time) increased from 13.8 

minutes in 1995 to 16.7 minutes in 2007, an increase of 21 

percent. 
BTS Special Report

2

Figure 2: Percent of Departures with Taxi-Out Times Less

 Than 30 Minutes and of 15 Minutes or Less

1995

19961997

19981999

20002001200220032004200520062007

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Percent

< _15 minutes < 30 minutes

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance Database.

Figure 3: Average Taxi-In Times by Year

1995

19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006

2007

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Minutes

5.5 5.6 5.7 5.9 6.1 6.3 6.4 6.3 6.2 6.4 6.4 6.5

6.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance Database.

The increase in taxi-out times has not been steady over 

the period. Between 1997 and 2000, taxi-out time increased from 14.4 to 16.2 minutes. However, after the 

September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and subsequent reduction in the number of total fl ights, taxi-out time dropped 

to an average of 15.3 minutes in 2002 and 2003. Taxi-out 

time then increased in 2004, before declining again in 

2005. In 2007, the average taxi-out time surpassed the 

previous 2000 high. Figure 1 shows the changes in the 

taxi-out time since 1995.1

Most fl ights are off the ground within 30 minutes of leaving 

the gate. However, the incidence of longer taxi times has 

1

 The taxi-out and taxi-in calculations for this report exclude any fl ight for 

which the taxi-in or taxi-out is reported as zero minutes. Reporting errors 

that result in taxi times of greater than 24 hours have been adjusted. Taxiout and taxi-in data for Comair in 2004 are not included due to data errors 

that could not be resolved. See box B.

increased over the years. In 1995, 72 percent of fl ights 

were off the ground in 15 minutes, and 96 percent within 

30 minutes. By 2007 these percentages had dropped to 

60 percent leaving the ground within 15 minutes of leaving 

the gate, and 93 percent taking off within 30 minutes. The 

annual percentage of fl ights getting off the ground within 

15 and 30 minutes are shown in fi gure 2. 

Taxi-In Times

Average time spent getting to the gate after touching down 

has also lengthened over the years, from an average of 

5.5 minutes in 1995 to 6.9 minutes in 2007—an increase 

of 25 percent. After increasing steadily through 2001, 

taxi-in times leveled off to between 6.2 and 6.4 minutes in 

the 2002 to 2005 period. Taxi-in times again began to rise 

in 2006, peaking at 6.9 minutes in 2007. Figure 3 shows 

changes in the average taxi-in times since 1995.
BTS Special Report

3

Taxi Times Increase in 2007

Taxi times for both departing and arriving fl ights increased 

noticeably in all but 3 months of 2007 relative to the same 

month in 2006. See table 1. The longest 2007 taxi times 

occurred during the summer peak months and in December. Taxi-out times exceeded 17 minutes in each peak 

month and reached a high of 17.5 minutes in December. 

Taxi-in times exceeded 7 minutes in the summer months 

and reached a high of 7.2 minutes in December. An exception to the increases in taxi times between 2006 and 

2007 were relatively small decreases in taxi-out times for 

September, October, and November. 

Flight Volume and Taxi Times

Over the long term, taxi times have increased along with 

the number of fl ights. However, in the short term, changes 

in taxi times do not always mirror a change in fl ight volume. Starting in 2003, the fi rst full year during which all 

certifi cated carriers were required to report traffi c data, the 

number of fl ights increased over the next 2 years.2

 Taxi 

times increased with fl ight volume in 2004, but then taxiout times decreased in 2005 while taxi-in times were about 

the same. During 2006 the number of fl ights declined, but 

taxi times increased. In 2007 taxi times increased at a 

greater rate than the increase in fl ight volumes. See fi gure 

4. This suggests that factors other than fl ight volume also 

affect the time planes spend on the ground.

2

 Since October 2002, all certifi cated carriers have been required to report 

in the T-100 database all departures operated. Therefore, the fi rst full 

year for which the total number of airline fl ights systemwide is available 

is 2003.

Airports and Taxi Times

The airports with the longest average taxi-out and taxi-in 

times are predominantly high-volume airports. Most are 

airports that serve as focal points for airline hub-and-spoke 

networks that tend to concentrate landings and departures 

during a compressed time period. For 2007, the longest 

ground times waiting for takeoff occurred at the three New 

York airports, JFK International, Newark, and LaGuardia, 

with average taxi-out times of 37, 30, and 29 minutes, 

respectively. Taxi-in times exceeded 10 minutes at JFK, Atlanta, Detroit, and Dallas-Fort Worth. The longest average 

taxi times by airport are shown in tables 2 and 3. 

Nantucket had an average taxi-out time of 19.8 minutes, 

but is not shown in table 2 because service at the airport 

is provided seasonally with an average of only two fl ights 

per day. However, this is an example of the ripple effects 

from larger airports on taxi-out times at smaller airports, as 

fl ights at Nantucket destined for Newark were often held 

on the ground due to conditions at the destination.

Ground Time by Hub Size

Analysis of data for the year 2007, shows that at smaller 

airports with decreased traffi c volume, taxi times are 

generally shorter. Airports are classifi ed as being located 

in large, medium, small, or nonhub cities depending on 

passenger volumes.3

 Table 4 shows, for the year 2007, taxi 

times by hub size.

3

 Airports in a geographic area that generate 1 percent or more of the 

annual domestic enplanements (boardings) are classifi ed as large 

hubs; 0.25 percent as medium hubs; 0.05 percent as small hubs, and 

less than 0.05 percent as nonhubs. This defi nition of hub should not be 

confused with airline usage of the term to describe “hub and spoke” route 

structures or other defi nitions of hubs as used by the Federal Aviation 

Administration in regard to individual airports.

Table 1: Average Taxi Times by Minutes 

 for 2007 v. 2006

Taxi-out Taxi-in

2006 2007

Percent 

change 2006 2007

Percent 

change

January 15.1 16.8 10.7% 6.4 6.7 5.8%

February 15.4 16.7 8.9% 6.4 6.9 8.1%

March 15.7 16.3 3.8% 6.4 6.7 4.8%

April 15.4 16.1 4.3% 6.2 6.6 5.5%

May 15.6 16.2 3.8% 6.3 6.7 6.1%

June 16.4 17.3 5.8% 6.6 7.1 6.8%

July 16.4 17.1 4.1% 6.8 7.1 4.7%

August 16.4 17.1 4.1% 6.7 7.1 5.4%

September 16.5 16.1 -1.9% 6.6 6.8 2.2%

October 16.6 16.5 -0.4% 6.6 6.8 2.5%

November 16.4 16.2 -1.2% 6.6 6.7 1.9%

December 16.3 17.5 7.5% 6.8 7.2 6.4%

Annual (minutes) 16.0 16.7 4.0% 6.5 6.9 5.0%

NOTE: Percent change is based on unrounded average minutes.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline 

On-Time Performance Database.

Figure 4: Changes in Flights and Taxi Times

 (Indexed to 2003)

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

0.96

0.98

1.00

1.02

1.04

1.06

1.08

1.10

1.12

Index (2003 = 1.00)

Flight volume

Taxi-in times

Taxi-out times

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline 

On-Time Performance Database for taxi times, and T100 Segment Data 

for number of fl ights.
BTS Special Report

4

Taxi-Out Patterns

In addition to airport size, BTS also examined taxi-out 

times by month, by day of week, and by time of day. For 

the years 1995 to 2007, June, July, and August had the 

longest taxi-out times, and the spring and autumn months 

experienced the shortest. See fi gure 5. 

BTS compared fl ight volume and taxi-out times to see if 

the observed seasonal change in taxi-out time is solely 

related to seasonal variation in the number of fl ights, rather 

than other factors. For each month, the average number 

of daily fl ights was indexed to the overall average for the 

5-year period of 31,207 fl ights per day, and average taxiout times were indexed to the 15.95 minute monthly average for the same 5-year period. 

A comparison of the indexes shows a strong relationship 

during the summer between increased fl ight volume and 

increased taxi-out times. However, from January to April, 

the taxi-out time index declined when the fl ight volume 

index did not. From October to December, the taxi-out 

time index increased when the departures index fell. This 

may suggest the impact of weather conditions on taxi-out 

times. During the winter, severe weather is more likely to 

adversely impact the national air system, and planes are 

more likely to spend time on the taxiway being de-iced; therefore, winter taxi-out times may lengthen despite lower traffi c 

volumes. See fi gure 6. 

The average taxi-out time varies by day of week and generally refl ects the number of fl ights. Wednesday through Friday 

Table 2: Ten Longest Average Taxi-Out Times by

 Airport in 2007

Airport Average taxi-out time

1 New York, JFK, NY 37.1

2 Newark, NJ 29.6

3 New York, La Guardia, NY 29.0

4 Philadelphia, PA 25.5

5 Detroit, Metro Wayne County, MI 20.8

6 Boston, Logan, MA 20.6

7 Houston, George Bush, TX 20.4

8 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 20.3

9 Atlanta, Hartsfi eld-Jackson, GA 19.9

10 Washington, Dulles, DC 19.7

NOTE: Average taxi out time at Nantucket, MA was 19.8 minutes for 

2007. However, service was provided only seasonally with an average 

of only two departures per day, and thus it is not included in this table.

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Airline On-Time Performance Database.

Table 3: Ten Longest Average Taxi-In Times by

 Airport in 2007

Airport Average taxi-in Time

1 Detroit, Metro Wayne County, MI 10.9

2 New York, JFK, NY 10.8

3 Atlanta, Hartsfi eld-Jackson, GA 10.7

4 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 10.5

5 Indianapolis, IN 9.6

6 Newark, NJ 9.5

7 Los Angeles, CA 9.2

8 Houston, George Bush, TX 9.1

9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 8.7

10 Chicago, O'Hare, IL 8.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline 

On-Time Performance Database.

Table 4: Average Taxi Times (minutes) 

 by Hub Size in 2007

Average minutes

Taxi-Out Taxi-In

% of Total 

Operations

Large Hub 18.5 7.8 58.8

Medium Hub 13.4 5.3 18.1

Small Hub 12.7 4.7 9.8

Non-Hub 12.0 4.3 13.3

 Total 16.7 6.9 100.0

NOTES: Taxi-out (taxi-in) times are based on the departures from 

(arrivals at) airports with the given hub size. Operations include both 

departures and arrivals and are based on T100 Segment data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Airline On-Time Performance Database and T100 Domestic and 

International Segment Databases.

Figure 5: Average Taxi-Out Time by Month Based

 on 1995 to 2007 Data

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

14.20

14.40

14.60

14.80

15.00

15.20

15.40

15.60

15.80

16.00

16.20

Monthly average

Overall average

15.39

15.18 15.10

14.92

15.23

16.06 16.01

15.97

15.14

15.15

15.15

15.68

Minutes

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline 

On-Time Performance Database.
BTS Special Report

5

have the longest average taxi-out times, and are among the 

busiest days in regard to number of fl ights.4

 Saturday, which 

has the lowest number of fl ights, has the shortest taxi-out 

times. Figure 7 shows the relationship between the volume of 

fl ights per day of week and average taxi-out times. 

The average outbound taxi time varies throughout the day. 

The longest taxi-out times occur during the 8 to 10 a.m. and 

4 to 9 p.m. hours, local time, while the shortest taxi-outs are 

during the overnight hours when the number of fl ights is 

minimal. Although taxi-out times and the number of fl ights5

move in concert, evening taxi times drop only slightly despite 

a large decline in the number of fl ights. This is due primarily 

to departures being concentrated at only a few airports during the late evening hours. During the 10 to 11 p.m. period, 

Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco account 

for 48 percent of the system total. During the 11 p.m. to midnight hour, the three west coast airports account for just over 

50 percent of the system total. So even though the number 

of fl ights for the system is down signifi cantly during those late 

hours, the concentration of departures at a few airports results in volumes typical of the peak periods. As a result, there 

is not a signifi cant drop in average taxi-out time. 

Figure 8 shows the average taxi-out time and the number of 

fl ights throughout the day. 

Extended Taxi Times

The number of aircraft spending more than 2 hours on the 

ground before taking off is very small. In 1995, an average of 

4

 Monday has a slightly higher number of departures than Wednesday, 

although taxi-out times on Monday are lower than on other weekdays.

5

 The number of fl ights is generally measured in this paper as one-half 

the sum of departures and arrivals. In general, this distinction is trivial, but 

for time of day the distinction is relevant as departures are greater early in 

the day and arrivals are greater late in the day.

six fl ights per day spent more than 2 hours waiting to take off 

after leaving the gate. In 2006, an average of 19 departures 

per day were on the ground for that long. As a percentage of 

total operations, these fl ights represented 0.1 percent of all 

departures. Year-to-year comparisons of 2-hour plus taxi-outs 

are shown in table 5. 

Flights that spent many hours on the ground but never took 

off, such as those involved in the well-publicized February 

14, 2007, incident at JFK in New York, are not refl ected in 

the taxi-time data. Also, arrival information is not reported 

for diverted fl ights, so taxi-in time for these fl ights also is not 

included in the data here.6

 See box A.

The number of long taxi-outs increased between 2006 and 

2007. In 2007, 92.5 percent of fl ights got off the ground 

6

 The taxi-out data for fl ights diverted en route is collected and included in 

the database. 

Figure 6: Monthly Variation in Daily Departures 

 and Taxi-Out Times 

 (Indexed to 2003-2007 average)

0.94

0.96

0.98

1.00

1.02

1.04

1.06

Departures

Taxi-out

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Index (average) = 1.00

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline 

On-Time Performance Database.

Figure 7: Average Taxi-Out Time and Departures

 by Day of Week in 2007

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

16,000

16,500

17,000

17,500

18,000

18,500

19,000

19,500

20,000

20,500

21,000

Departures

14.0

14.5

15.0

15.5

16.0

16.5

17.0

17.5

Average minutes

Flights Taxi out (minutes)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline OnTime Performance Database.

Figure 8: Average Taxi-Out Time and Flight

 Volume by Time of Day in 2007

5:59a

6:59a

7:59a

8:59a9:59a

10:59a11:59a

12:59p

1:59p

2:59p

3:59p

4:59p

5:59p6:59p

7:59p8:59p

9:59p

10:59p

11:59p

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Average taxi out

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Average total flights

Average taxi-out minutes Flight volume

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Airline On-Time Performance Database.
BTS Special Report

6

within 30 minutes, compared to 93.4 percent one year 

earlier. The number of 2-hour plus taxi-outs has increased 

by 20 percent, and they now account for 0.12 percent of 

all departures. Taxi-outs of 15 minutes or less have declined from 63 percent of departures the previous year, to 

60 percent of departures in 2007. A detailed comparison 

for this period is shown in table 6.

Taxi-out times of 3 hours or more are a very infrequent 

occurrence, but in a few cases planes have waited on the 

tarmac for over 5 hours before takeoff. During 2007, there 

were a total of 44 individual fl ights that spent over 5 hours 

on the ground before lifting off. During 2005 through 2007, 

over half of the fl ights with taxi-out times in excess of 5 

hours were departing from JFK, LaGuardia, or Newark Airports in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area. During that period, there were 107 such fl ights departing from 

a total of 23 different airports. Three particular instances 

accounted for 28 of the 107 fl ights. On February 14, 2007, 

10 fl ights at JFK, Newark, and Philadelphia spent over 5 

hours on the ground during a snow and ice storm before taking off. The delays at JFK received considerable 

national media attention. On July 27, 2006, when storms 

stretched from the Midwest through the Ohio Valley, 10 

fl ights at JFK, Newark, and Chicago O’Hare were similarly 

affected. On June 1, 2006, a front stretching from Maine 

to Texas brought storms that kept 9 fl ights on the ground 

over 5 hours at JFK and LaGuardia, in the northeast, 

and Fort Myers, Florida (en route to JFK). Five of the six 

delays at Sun Valley occurred the same day, on February, 

25, 2005. The distribution by airport for the 5-hour plus 

taxi-outs during the 3-year period is shown in fi gure 9.

Taxi-Out Time and Delays

Increased taxi times do not necessarily mean increased 

fl ight delays. When airlines plan fl ight schedules, they 

take into account the normal taxi times experienced by 

fl ights at the airports being serviced, including allowances 

for normal operational changes due to seasonal weather 

impacts. Therefore, the schedule of a fl ight serving a hub 

airport will generally refl ect the longer taxi-out or taxi-in 

times experienced at that airport compared to smaller airports. Thus, even if a fl ight leaving Newark, for example, 

spends 30 minutes on the ground after leaving the gate, it 

may arrive at its destination on time. Despite the customer 

perception of having experienced a delay, what was actually experienced were normal operating conditions.

When the taxi-out time is extended, the fl ight may arrive 

late at its destination. However, because published airline 

schedules do not include a specifi c taxi-out time component, a specifi c “tarmac delay” fi gure can not be calculated.

Table 5: Number of Flights with Taxi-Out Times in Excess of Two Hours

Year

121-180 

minutes

181-240 

minutes

241-300 

minutes

301+ 

minutes

2 hour plus 

taxi-out

Departures with 

taxi-out time data

% over 

two hours

Percent Rank

1995 1,786 325 70 33 2,214 5,235,530 0.04% 1

1996 3,131 490 115 18 3,754 5,223,447 0.07% 3

1997 2,467 521 132 79 3,199 5,314,080 0.06% 2

1998 3,712 717 141 16 4,586 5,240,212 0.09% 7

1999 5,219 1,050 246 34 6,549 5,373,573 0.12% 12

2000 5,632 1,241 297 79 7,249 5,495,557 0.13% 13

2001 3,682 623 113 15 4,433 5,736,582 0.08% 4

2002 3,492 712 134 84 4,422 5,206,216 0.08% 5

2003 4,357 858 218 96 5,529 6,386,299 0.09% 6

2004 6,016 1,012 172 42 7,242 6,641,160 0.11% 10

2005 5,695 881 139 27 6,742 7,006,016 0.10% 8

2006 6,110 1,071 188 36 7,405 7,018,147 0.11% 9

2007 7,249 1,327 234 44 8,854 7,291,752 0.12% 11

Grand total 58,548 10,828 2,199 603 72,178 77,168,571 0.09%

NOTES: Data for fl ights showing zero taxi-out time were considered to be erroneous and were not included in calculations for this table. 

Data for Comair for 2004 was not included due to taxi-out time errors for which an appropriate correction could not be determined.

The number of departures shown are those for which taxi-out data is available. These numbers do not represent all scheduled airline 

departures in the year shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Airline On-Time Performance Database. 

Box A: Reporting of Canceled and Diverted Flights

• Flights that do not operate, or that leave the gate, 

spend time on the tarmac, return to the gate, and do 

not take off are considered canceled fl ights. Airlines 

are not required to report taxi time data for canceled 

fl ights

• Arrival information is not reported for diverted 

fl ights, so taxi-in time for those fl ights is not 

included in the BTS data.
BTS Special Report

7

Table 6: Taxi-Out by Timeblock for Years

 2006 and 2007

2006 2007

Taxi-out minutes

Flights with taxi out 

time data Percent

Flights with taxi 

out time data Percent

1-15 4,387,919 62.5 4,344,780 59.6

16-30 2,163,726 30.8 2,400,433 32.9

1-30 6,551,645 93.4 6,745,213 92.5

31-60 399,634 5.7 465,600 6.4

1-60 6,951,279 99.0 7,210,813 98.9

61-120 59,463 0.8 72,085 1.0

1-120 7,010,742 99.9 7,282,898 99.9

121-180 6,110 0.1 7,249 0.1

181-240 1,071 0.0 1,327 0.0

241-300 188 0.0 234 0.0

301+ 36 0.0 44 0.0

121+ 7,405 0.1 8,854 0.1

Total 7,018,147 100.0 7,291,752 100.0

NOTE: Percent subtotals may not add due to rounding. Does not include fl ights that 

returned to the gate and were then canceled.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance Database.

Figure 9: Instances of Taxi-Out Times Greater Than 5 Hours 

 Between Jan. 1, 2005–Dec. 31, 2007

Atlanta, GA

Austin, TX

Boston, MA

Charlotte, NC

Chicago O’Hare, IL

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

Denver, CO

Dulles, DC

Fort Myers, FL

Houston George Bush, TX

JFK, NY

LaGuardia, NY

Newark, NJ

Norfolk, VA

Philadelphia, PA

Portland, ME

Raleigh/Durham, NC

San Antonio, TX

Savannah, GA

Sun Vallyey. ID

Syracuse, NY

Tulsa, OK

Wilmington, NC

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Number of incidents

NOTE: Does not include fl ights that returned to the gate and were then canceled.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance Database.
BTS Special Report

8

For related BTS data and publications: www.bts.gov

This article was prepared by Bruce Goldberg, Transportation Specialist at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), and David 

Chesser, a Senior Economist contractor to BTS. BTS is a component 

of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

This Special Report is based on data in the BTS Offi ce of Airline 

Information On Time Performance Database, and the T-100 Database. Taxi-out and taxi-in time data is based on information reported 

monthly to BTS by the individual air carriers which includes, among 

other information, the time when fl ights leave the departure gate, 

leave the runway, touch down on the destination airport runway, and 

arrive at the gate after touching down. The total number of departures 

nationwide is taken from the T-100 database. Some adjustments 

have been made to the reported data, as outlined in the methodology 

box in this report.

For questions about this or other BTS reports, call 1-800-853-1351, 

email answers@bts.gov, or visit www.bts.gov.

Data — 

Airline Data and Statistics Program, BTS website

• Airline On-Time Performance—Taxi Out Times

Publications — 

• National Transportation Statistics

• Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2006

About this Report

Box B: About the Data

Detailed taxi-out data, including data by airport and by airline are available on the BTS website at http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/taxi_out_times/. Note that on some 

website tables the data shown may differ slightly from the data presented here, as the following adjustments were made for the analyses in this report:

• Data for fl ights showing simultaneous gate departure and wheels-off (zero taxi-out time) 

were considered to be erroneous and were not included in calculations. 

• Taxi-in times for some fl ights landing before midnight and arriving at the gate after midnight exceed 24 hours in the database due to data entry errors. Taxi-in times for these 

fl ights were adjusted before average taxi-in times were calculated.

• Taxi-out data for Comair in 2004 are not included in the calculation for table 5 due to 

data errors that could not be resolved and corrected.