News Summary: Stumbles cost American Airlines

The Associated Press

LATE AGAIN: Among the five biggest U.S. airlines, American Airlines had the worst rating for on-time arrivals in September. The airline accused some pilots of an illegal work slowdown stemming from a labor dispute; the pilots' union denied it.

FLIGHT NUMBERS: FlightStats Inc. says 59.1 percent of American's flights last month were within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival. Among the biggest carriers, Delta was tops at 88.8 percent and US Airways was next at 87.2 percent.

CANCELED TRIPS: American also led the Big Five in canceled flights with 1,391, or 2.6 percent of its September schedule, according to FlightStats.