Question: Many people were appalled, but not surprised, when the New York Times reported that nine Jet Blue airplanes full of angry passengers sat for six hours on the tarmac at JFK International Airport when an ice storm hit New York earlier this spring. (The passengers were then told the flights were cancelled and they were deposited back at the gate). It has become the norm to expect that there will be delays when we travel. But how bad is the problem? Are some airlines doing better than others? Does it make a difference when you fly, or where you fly? The data sets provided for you in the exam come from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. By the way, the bureau defines a delay as a plane arriving, or leaving, more than 15 minutes behind schedule.

Some people like to avoid larger airports because they think they are more likely to experience delays. How do the rates of delayed flights compare between medium sized airports (250-999 flights per year), and large airports (1000 or more flights per year)? Do this analysis separately for both arrivals and departures. You’ll want to code the airports first for size.