hard · Gre Verbal

A regional airline claimed that its on-time performance improved last year: the percentage of its flights arriving on time rose from 78% to 85%. A passenger-rights group objected that, despite this figure, the typical passenger's experience of delay had actually gotten worse over the same year. Which of the following, if true, would best RECONCILE the airline's statistic with the passenger group's claim? A) The airline added several new destinations to its route map during the year. B) A competing airline improved its on-time performance by more than this airline did. C) The airline defines an 'on-time' arrival as one occurring within fifteen minutes of the scheduled time. D) During the year the airline shifted most of its capacity to a few very high-traffic routes that, unlike its other routes, suffered frequent long delays. E) Passenger surveys are conducted only among travelers who complete their journeys.

1. The airline quietly added several entirely new destinations to its published route map at a number of points over the course of the past year.
2. A rival competing airline managed to improve its own on-time arrival record by a distinctly wider margin than this particular airline did over the same year.
3. The airline formally defines an 'on-time' arrival as any flight that touches down within fifteen minutes of the time originally scheduled for its arrival at the gate.
4. During the year the airline shifted most of its capacity to a few very high-traffic routes that, unlike its other routes, suffered frequent long delays.
5. The passenger surveys asking about delays are conducted only among those travelers who actually complete their booked journeys all the way to the final destination.

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