The carrier also had the fewest mishandled baggage reports filed by consumers, with only 3.09 complaints per 1,000 passengers. Memphis-based Pinnacle Airlines, a former Northwest subsidiary which operates regional flights under the Northwest Airlink name, had the best on-time performance in the industry, with 85.6 percent of its flights arriving without delay. Other top performers include low-cost carriers like Southwest and Frontier along with smaller, more regionally-focused airlines like Hawaiian and Alaska. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., which seeks to merge with Northwest by the end of this year, ranked near the bottom of the on-time ratings; 69.6 percent of its flights were on-time in July. A strong showing of on-time flights during one of the busiest travel months marks a big turnaround for Northwest, which often has fared poorly on consumer satisfaction and on-time performance surveys. Just a few months ago, Northwest scored near the bottom of a J.D. Power and Associates annual survey of passengers, though its luggage performance has improved significantly in recent months. For its part, Northwest is thrilled about the on-time recognition. 'We've put a lot of hard work into ensuring our operations are efficient,' said Michelle Aguayo Shannon, a Northwest spokeswoman. 'This is recognition for all of our employees' efforts.' The Bureau of Transportation Statistics report held even more promise for local passengers using Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where Northwest operates its largest hub. In July, 83.5 percent of flights arriving and 81.7 percent of those departing Metro were on-time. Of all the carriers operating at Metro, Northwest also posted the greatest number of on-time flights here (85 percent arrived on time in July). ExpressJet, which operates feeder flights for Continental, was the worst, with only 52 percent of flights arriving on-time. 'It's been a simply great, fantastic summer for us,' Northwest CEO Doug Steenland said in a hotline message to employees last week, 'and particularly for our customers.' You can reach Nathan Hurst at (313) 222-2293 or [email protected].