Travel Globe

A majority of Americans believe the Transportation Security Administration is doing a good job, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday.

The poll shows that 54 percent think TSA is doing an excellent or good job of handling the screening responsibilities at U.S. airports. Just 30 percent rated the agency’s overall performance as fair.

Compare that to public opinion of Congress, which has an approval rating hovering around 16 percent. 

“We asked a different question about TSA than we typically do about Congress,” Jeff Jones, managing editor of the Gallup Poll, told NBC News. “But since the ratings of TSA are generally good and ratings of Congress are so low, I think it is safe to say people are more positive about TSA than about Congress.” 

Jones said that may be because “it’s easier as a task to screen a passenger than to fix the economy.” While it's more difficult to get on an airplane now than before 9/11, “the mission of the TSA seems to be something people are taking into account, which may be why they are more positive than negative about the TSA.”

When it comes to TSA’s effectiveness at preventing acts of terror on U.S. airplanes, 41 percent of Americans said TSA was extremely effective or very effective and 44 percent considered the agency only somewhat effective.

TSA administrator John Pistole said the poll “reaffirms TSA's commitment to carrying out these responsibilities with efficiency, integrity and in a customer-friendly manner.”

The poll showing public support for TSA comes at a time when some members of Congress have been critical of the agency. Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.) has advocated privatizing the airport screening program. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and who helped set up TSA after 9/11, has been an outspoken critic of the agency.

The Gallup poll on TSA performance found that just over half of Americans have flown at least once in the past year and that those who have flown had a slightly better opinion of TSA’s performance than those who haven’t been inside an airport recently.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans who have flown at least once in past year and an equal number who have flown at least three times in the past year gave the TSA excellent or good marks. Of those who stayed out of airports, 52 percent ranked the TSA’s performance as excellent or good.

A majority of parents with children 18 and under at home — 54 percent — gave TSA an excellent or good rating, about the same as those who do not have children at home. Gallup researchers found this significant, given that in the fall of 2011 TSA revised and relaxed its rules for screening children age 12 and under.

The Gallup poll results are based on a telephone interviews conducted July 9-12, 2012, with a random sample of 1,014 U.S. adults. 

Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter. 

More on Overhead Bin

• Picasso nude too hot for some travelers
• Ka-ching! Fund your next trip with pocket change
• Lemonade? Live music? Airports ease travel stress

A majority of Americans believe the Transportation Security Administration is doing a good job, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday.

The poll shows that 54 percent think TSA is doing an excellent or good job of handling the screening responsibilities at U.S. airports. Just 30 percent rated the agency’s overall performance as fair.

Compare that to public opinion of Congress, which has an approval rating hovering around 16 percent. 

“We asked a different question about TSA than we typically do about Congress,” Jeff Jones, managing editor of the Gallup Poll, told NBC News. “But since the ratings of TSA are generally good and ratings of Congress are so low, I think it is safe to say people are more positive about TSA than about Congress.” 

Jones said that may be because “it’s easier as a task to screen a passenger than to fix the economy.” While it's more difficult to get on an airplane now than before 9/11, “the mission of the TSA seems to be something people are taking into account, which may be why they are more positive than negative about the TSA.”

When it comes to TSA’s effectiveness at preventing acts of terror on U.S. airplanes, 41 percent of Americans said TSA was extremely effective or very effective and 44 percent considered the agency only somewhat effective.

TSA administrator John Pistole said the poll “reaffirms TSA's commitment to carrying out these responsibilities with efficiency, integrity and in a customer-friendly manner.”

The poll showing public support for TSA comes at a time when some members of Congress have been critical of the agency. Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.) has advocated privatizing the airport screening program. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and who helped set up TSA after 9/11, has been an outspoken critic of the agency.

The Gallup poll on TSA performance found that just over half of Americans have flown at least once in the past year and that those who have flown had a slightly better opinion of TSA’s performance than those who haven’t been inside an airport recently.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans who have flown at least once in past year and an equal number who have flown at least three times in the past year gave the TSA excellent or good marks. Of those who stayed out of airports, 52 percent ranked the TSA’s performance as excellent or good.

A majority of parents with children 18 and under at home — 54 percent — gave TSA an excellent or good rating, about the same as those who do not have children at home. Gallup researchers found this significant, given that in the fall of 2011 TSA revised and relaxed its rules for screening children age 12 and under.

The Gallup poll results are based on a telephone interviews conducted July 9-12, 2012, with a random sample of 1,014 U.S. adults. 

Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter. 

More on Overhead Bin

• Picasso nude too hot for some travelers
• Ka-ching! Fund your next trip with pocket change
• Lemonade? Live music? Airports ease travel stress

NEW YORK — Fliers rejoice: U.S. airlines are more punctual and less likely to lose your bag than at any time in more than two decades.

Travelers still have to put up with packed planes, rising fees and unpredictable security lines, but they are late to fewer business meetings and missing fewer chances to tuck their kids into bed.

Nearly 84 percent of domestic flights arrived within 15 minutes of their schedule time in the first half of the year — the best performance since the government started tracking such data in 1988.

The improvement over the first six months of 2011, when 77 percent of flights were on time, is mostly the result of good weather and fewer planes in the sky because of weak demand.

Airlines are also doing a better job of handling bags. Fewer than three suitcases per 1,000 passengers were reported lost, damaged or delayed from January through June, a record low.

The two areas of improvement are related: when flights are late, bags often miss their connection.

"My flights this year have been way better," says Amanda Schuier, a sales manager for a Kansas City, Mo., trucking supplier who flies roughly four times a week. "In the past six months, I've only had two delays."

If the current pace continues, airlines will beat their best full-year performance in 1991, when nearly 83 percent of flights arrived on time. The worst full year was 2000, when just 73 percent of flights arrived on time.

The worst year for baggage handling was 1989, when nearly 8 suitcases per 1,000 passengers were reported late, lost or damaged.

There are still problems. About one out of every six flights is late — and that's after airlines have adjusted schedules to account for congestion, says airline consultant Michael Boyd.

"That's an indictment, not a record," he says.

1. 1. Smithsonian Celebrating Julia Child's life and culinary wisdom

      Julia Child would have turned 100 this month. To commemorate the late cookbook author, restaurants this week are serving French recipes inspired by Child, and her kitchen will be on display in a musuem.

   2. Mississippi River cruising makes a comeback
   3. 50 years gone, Marilyn's legend lives on
   4. Tiny hummingbirds a big draw for tourists
   5. Slideshow: London calling

When flights are on time, it isn't just good for passengers — it also helps the airlines' bottom lines. The industry says it costs an average of $75 a minute to operate a plane. Last year, domestic delays cost airlines an estimated $5.2 billion.

In the first six months of this year, Mother Nature has been kind to airlines. There have been 10 percent fewer thunderstorms than usual, according to a decade of data analyzed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aviation Weather Center.

There has also been less snow. New York has had about 3 inches of snow so far this year, compared with a ten-year average of 20 inches. Chicago, which averages 27 inches of snow from January through June, has had just 18 inches. And Minneapolis has had 12 inches, a third the normal snowfall at this point in the year.

The recession led fewer people to fly and prompted airlines to ground planes, clearing up the airspace. In 2007, 14.8 million airplanes took off and landed at the nation's 35 largest airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Last year, that number was down 10 percent to 13.3 million.

The airlines also are taking steps to improve their on-time performance. They include:

— Better technology. Airlines are flying newer planes with fewer maintenance problems. New tools track the boarding of passengers and loading of baggage onto individual flights. If either falls behind schedule, extra workers are deployed to ensure an on-time departure.

— More realistic schedules. Flight times have been extended on some trips to account for air traffic delays. For instance, Delta Air Lines adds up to 16 minutes for Atlanta to New York flights during peak hours. Boyd and other critics say padding schedules may improve on-time statistics, but it shouldn't be confused with better service.

— Timely delivery of food and fuel. Airlines have revised contracts with suppliers to include incentives for on-time deliveries and penalties for late ones.

— Improved boarding procedures. The order passengers get on a plane has been streamlined and larger overhead bins have been installed.

New government rules also deter delays. The Department of Transportation now requires airlines to display the on-time performance of each flight on their websites.

There are also stiff penalties for lengthy delays. For instance, if a plane is sitting on the tarmac for more than three hours the airline can be fined up to $27,500 per passenger — or about $4 million for a typical jet. To avoid those fines, airlines created new software. As delays persist, special alerts flash for the local airport manager and at headquarters.

Since Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood took office in 2008, the department has nearly tripled the number of annual enforcement actions taken against airlines — from 20 to 59 last year. Fines have jumped from $1.2 million to $6.1 million.

"We sent a very loud message to the airlines that they need to treat people with respect," LaHood says. "People pay a lot of money to get on an airplane and they expect to have to on-time service."

The airlines say changes they've made will help when the weather worsens and when more passengers return to the skies.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a hefty fine against Horizon Air for allegedly flying almost two dozen airplanes that were not in compliance with federal regulations.

Horizon Air faces a potential civil penalty of $1,005,000. FAA alleges the Seattle-based airline used blind rivets on the installation of new security flight deck doors, instead of the required solid rivets.

The FAA claims the airline flew the 22 non-compliant Bombardier DHC-8-402 turboprop airliners on 186,189 flights. Even after being told that these Horizon planes didn't meet federal requirements, the airline reportedly operated one of the planes on another passenger-carrying flight before replacing the rivets.

Installing these blind rivets could damage components like wiring, the FAA said.

"We expect airlines to comply with all of our safety regulations and to correct safety defects promptly," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Horizon's alleged violations were discovered when their 23rd incorrectly-modified plane experienced an in-flight wiring damage incident on a non-revenue flight.

Horizon has 30 days to respond to the FAA. The agency sent a letter dated Aug. 1 to Horizon Air president Glen Johnson detailing a report of their investigation.

The regional airline is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, which also owns Alaska Airlines. The company did not immediately return NBC News' request for comment.

More on Overhead Bin:

• Alaska Airlines flight diverts after mid-air electrical problems
• Lemonade? Live music? Airports ease travel stress
• Fund your next trip with pocket change