WASHINGTON - U.S. airlines have cut many flights and they are getting better at staying on schedule with their remaining flights, as more trips arrived on time in May than a year earlier.

The Transportation Department also said Thursday that fewer flights were canceled and passengers reported fewer cases of mishandled baggage.

Airlines have been cutting flights since last year, first in response to rising fuel prices, then to cope with a slump in travel due to the recession. In June, capacity — mostly measured in the number of flights — was down about 6 percent from last June at the largest U.S. airlines.