You're absolutely correct Mataus.  The "Sortie rate" is a very important metric that often gets forgotten when people talk about carrier strength.  Being able to launch and recover aircraft quickly is very important in an operation.

I also read a fascinating article a short while ago written by some air force personnel that lamented how much weaker aircraft carriers are currently compared to how they were in the nineties.  Apparently their sortie rate is much lower and the range of the strike craft has been greatly reduced.  The preoccupation with both stealth and dog-fighting has severely curtailed the carriers ability to reach further and sortie faster.  Simply put, the Navy needs planes with large wings for fuel efficiency and to carry more fuel.  Interceptors, or dogfighters, are designed with smaller wings to be more aerodynamically unstable and thus pull more G's without tearing the plane apart.

I must admit, I never once gave any thought to the sortie rate until I read that article.