NEW YORK — Fliers rejoice: U.S. airlines are more punctual and less likely to lose your bag than at any time in more than two decades.

Nearly 84 percent of domestic flights arrived within 15 minutes of their schedule time in the first half of the year — the best performance since the government started tracking such data in 1988.

The improvement over the first six months of 2011, when 77 percent of flights were on time, is mostly the result of good weather and fewer planes in the sky because of weak demand.

Airlines are also doing a better job of handling bags. Fewer than three suitcases per 1,000 passengers were reported lost, damaged or delayed from January through June, a record low.

If the current pace continues, airlines will beat their best full-year performance in 1991, when nearly 83 percent of flights arrived on time. The worst full year was 2000, when just 73 percent of flights arrived on time.

The worst year for baggage handling was 1989, when nearly 8 suitcases per 1,000 passengers were reported late, lost or damaged.