Southwest

US Airways zeroed in on the same thing when it ran into operational problems several years ago.

“For us, it’s probably the best coordination we’ve ever had amongst all the work groups,” Kelly said.

The airline monitors the stats every day and the early results are encouraging, Kelly said, with the on-time rate for originating flights up about 15 percentage points, Kelly said.

The Start Strong program is one of about 20 moves Southwest is making to cut flight de- lays. The biggest move is to add time between flights to give the airline more wiggle room to deal with the unexpected, Kelly said. The airline tightened its flight schedule last summer to squeeze in more flights during peak travel times, and officials have said that was a big source of the on-time problems.

Kelly said Southwest is also selling fewer flights with connections because departing flights can be delayed waiting for connecting passengers whose planes arrive late. The airline is also looking at routing its planes differently on long flights to take advantage of prevailing winds.

The goal is to get Southwest’s on-time rate back into the low 80s. Its average on-time rate in the last three months of 2013 was 71.8 percent, with December particularly miserable at 57.7 percent, its worst ever.

“I’m very confident that they’re going to work,’’ Kelly said.

He said there is no evidence the on-time problems hurt business, noting that Southwest still had the fewest consumer complaints of any major airline based on Department of Transportation statistics, but continued delays would hurt.

“I think over a longer period of time that would impair goodwill,’’ he said.

This is a big year for Southwest on many fronts. Kelly calls it historic. The airline, which has one of its largest operations in Phoenix, will launch its first international service in July when it takes over a few of AirTran Airway’s flights to the Caribbean. Southwest acquired AirTran in 2011 and will finish integrating the airline into Southwest by the end of this year.

In October, the airline will add a plethora of non-stop flights from its home base at Dallas Love Field when federal flight restrictions put in place by the Wright Amendment end. The airline has said Phoenix will be one of those cities, with service beginning in November. Travelers headed between Phoenix and Dallas on Southwest currently have to make a stop along the way.

Southwest also plans to boost service in New York and Washington, D.C., after the recent acquisition of takeoff and landing rights that American Airlines and US Airways were forced to give up to win approval for their December merger.