HEBRON — The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport was one of the nation's best at getting people to their destinations on time in the week before Christmas last year, a federal study shows.

        But getting out two days after Christmas was a problem.

        The report, released Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, studied arrival times and cancellation rates for departures Dec. 20-27, 1999.

        Cincinnati ranked among the top five nationally for every day up to Dec. 25 in average delay time, percentage of flights delayed 30 minutes or more and percentage of flights delayed an hour or more.

        But because of a snowstorm that hit during crunch time on the afternoon of Dec. 27, the airport was one of the worst-performing in the country on that day.

        “We feel we did very well otherwise, and weather will always be a part of it,” airport spokesman Ted Bushelman said Friday.

        The average delay on that day was 20.4 minutes, third-worst among the nation's 29 biggest airports covered in the report.

        In addition, 8.4 percent of flights were delayed by an hour or more, and 32 percent were delayed 30 minutes or more, the highest in the period. Cincinnati had its highest cancellation rate (2.9 percent) and diversion rate (0.4 percent) of the holiday season on Dec. 27.

        The national average for delay time for that day was 7.5 minutes, with 3.9 percent delayed an hour or more and 12 percent delayed 30 minutes or more.

        Nationally, the worst day to fly was Dec. 23. Flights on that day were delayed an average of 14.8 minutes, and a season-high 7.6 percent of flights were delayed an hour or more. Another 17.6 percent of flights were delayed 30 minutes or more on Dec. 23, the second-highest rate of the week.

        The statistics bureau released the study to give travelers an idea of what to expect during the travel season. The agency did the same thing before Thanksgiving.

        For the period before Thanksgiving, Cincinnati was the sixth-worst among the top 29 airports for delays over one hour.

        The report does not try to predict what could happen this year, said bureau spokesman Dave Smallen, especially with Delta Air Lines' situation so unpredictable.

        The airline is being forced to cancel flights because its pilots are not requesting overtime as the two sides are negotiating a new contract.

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