US airlines improve their on-time performance

At the height of this summer's travel season, airline flights were more likely to arrive on time and less likely to be canceled.

The improvement in airline performance was a welcome break for travelers, who had seen a spike in delays and cancelations during the first half of this year.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that among 14 of the largest airlines, 75.6 percent of flights arrived on time in July, up from 73.1 percent in July 2013 and from June 2014's 71.8 percent rate.

The airlines covered by the report canceled 1.6 percent of their trips, down from 1.7 percent a year earlier and 2 percent in June.

The best for arriving on time are Hawaiian and Delta. The worst: JetBlue and Southwest.