Hometown Airline Still Ahead of Pack

[AIRWOMAN]

Hometown airline still ahead of pack

Dawn Gilbertson
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 2, 2005 12:00 AM

America West and US Airways may be merged, but their operations were on different tracks in October.

Government rankings show that in the first full month as a combined airline America West performed substantially better than US Airways in key measures of customer service.

America West ranked fifth of 20 carriers in on-time performance, with 84.1 percent of its flights arriving on time, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's monthly Air Travel Consumer Report.

The top four were Hawaiian, SkyWest, Frontier and Comair.

Southwest, the other dominant airline at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, ranked 11th, at 80.8 percent.

US Airways came in at No. 15, with an on-time arrival rate of 79.8 percent. In customer complaints, US Airways ranked last, with 1.71 per 100,000 passenger boardings. That is up sharply from a year ago, when it had 0.85 per 100,000 boardings.

Not all of the complaints were about incidents in the month, however. More than 60 percent were for prior months or an unknown date.

America West ranked No. 10 in customer complaints, with 0.72 per 100,000 boardings. That is slightly higher than a year ago.



It's not the union contract, the lack of a union contract or any of the other reasons..........it all boils down to the employees that make the airline run. SWA has some of the highest paid employees but their numbers were lower. Kudos to all who make this happen.

 

[a320av8r]

Of course West was affected by the hurricanes in Florida and the caribbean significantly too, as was WN?

 

[AIRWOMAN]

Of course West was affected by the hurricanes in Florida and the caribbean significantly too, as was WN?

Of course they were, as was everyone........but not all airlines to the same degree.

The reason for the post was to point out something positive even under the stress of the merger.

 

[gonzo]

Good Job US Airways West (AWA)

Ya know........ US Airways East has been through a lot of "crap" here lately. But they are still in there keeping it going. Good Job East.

 

[BCDurbin]

Hometown airline still ahead of pack

Dawn Gilbertson
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 2, 2005 12:00 AM

America West and US Airways may be merged, but their operations were on different tracks in October.

Government rankings show that in the first full month as a combined airline America West performed substantially better than US Airways in key measures of customer service.

If they were merged how can their operations be different? :huh: aren't they all rowin' in the same boat? and since when do 'government' rankings mean anything anyway!!

 

[EricLv2Fish]

I would like to share my experience today flying with US East. Orginally I had planned on flying US West from Phoenix to non-stop to Tampa for a little vacation and see my family in Sarasota. Well, last night I decided to fly with US East from Phoenix to Charlotte and then US Express (PSA) to Sarasota. The flying time was 2 hours more and an additional 1.5 hour lay over in Charlotte, but my father only lives 2 miles from the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport. The convience for my father picking me up in Sarasota was attractive enough for me to consider a change in routine. I'm glad I did. I flew on an Airbus 321 on US East to Charlotte. Service was extremely professional, and the ticket agent ensured I knew exactly what to do. Aircraft was clean and the pilots had a good sense of humor. FAs were sharp and professional. I was very impressed. We took off on time and arrived 20 minutes early. First time to Charlotte Douglas Airport. Very Very Nice! I thought Phoenix was nice. Charlotte Douglas is in a whole different class. Great airport layout and attractive resturants and shops. Flew on a a PSA CRJ 200 to Sarasota, and again the flight was excellent. Nice little aircraft and clean. We arrived 20 minutes early, bags unloaded quickly with no problems. Glad to have had the experience and see first hand the a glimpse of the US East operation. Thanks for making my Non-Rev US West employee experience a good one. I think this will be my new routine for taking trips to visit my father

 

[gonzo]

If they were merged how can their operations be different? :huh: aren't they all rowin' in the same boat? and since when do 'government' rankings mean anything anyway!!

Let me quess.......you are new to this thread.....LOL.

 

[AIRWOMAN]

If they were merged how can their operations be different? :huh: aren't they all rowin' in the same boat? and since when do 'government' rankings mean anything anyway!!

Separate Operating Certificates right now.

$50.

 

[UWCactus]

I would like to share my experience today flying with US East. Orginally I had planned on flying US West from Phoenix to non-stop to Tampa for a little vacation and see my family in Sarasota. Well, last night I decided to fly with US East from Phoenix to Charlotte and then US Express (PSA) to Sarasota. The flying time was 2 hours more and an additional 1.5 hour lay over in Charlotte, but my father only lives 2 miles from the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport. The convience for my father picking me up in Sarasota was attractive enough for me to consider a change in routine. I'm glad I did. I flew on an Airbus 321 on US East to Charlotte. Service was extremely professional, and the ticket agent ensured I knew exactly what to do. Aircraft was clean and the pilots had a good sense of humor. FAs were sharp and professional. I was very impressed. We took off on time and arrived 20 minutes early. First time to Charlotte Douglas Airport. Very Very Nice! I thought Phoenix was nice. Charlotte Douglas is in a whole different class. Great airport layout and attractive resturants and shops. Flew on a a PSA CRJ 200 to Sarasota, and again the flight was excellent. Nice little aircraft and clean. We arrived 20 minutes early, bags unloaded quickly with no problems. Glad to have had the experience and see first hand the a glimpse of the US East operation. Thanks for making my Non-Rev US West employee experience a good one. I think this will be my new routine for taking trips to visit my father

Thanks for the report Eric...nice to hear of a good experience on US East. I will be taking them soon as well and will hopefully have something nice to say. They say the Charlotte based Flight Attendants are pretty nice and generally happier than PHL based people so that could explain your good experience. Of course...all it takes is one person...only one..no matter where they work or which customer service position they are in...one person can make a break an experience.