More rumors from Tempe

[BoeingBoy]

Let's ask the old timer's.

How were things in PHL concerning missed/lost bags/ramp conditions,etc., many years ago when cleaners made $60,000 per year with overtime,no telling how much the other rampers were making. I can remember in 89 even with the Piedmont merger(Northern Division vs Southern Division) things ran a lot smoother.

I don't know of any way to get the info for a specific airport - the DOT doesn't report that, only for each "reporting carrier".

I guess one could safely surmise that PHL has an effect on our overall baggage performance, so take that overall performance as an indicator of PHL performance. In that light, here's the annual baggage numbers since 1997. 2006 isn't reported as the DOT does not publish a running average during the year.

1997 - 4.24 reports per 1000 passengers (#4 of 10 carriers reporting)
1998 - 4.09 (#3 of 10)
1999 - 5.08 (#6 of 10)
2000 - 4.76 (#3 of 10)
2001 - 3.86 (#2 of 11)
2002 - 2.95 (#2 of 10)
2003 - 3.55 (#7 of 17)
2004 - 5.33 (#13 of 19)
2005 - 9.62 (#15 of 18)

Jim

[Edit to add]

You'll notice the increase in the number of reporting carriers toward the bottom. Through 2000, only the "majors" were big enough to report. In 2001, the 1st express carrier - American Eagle - became big enough to report. The number of express carriers has become half the list since then.

 

[Dog Wonder]

Hate to say this but a great way for Scott to get started is to bring a suitcase full of cash for the local pols and such. IMO things improve overnight.

Kirby certainly has a suitcase full of cash.

That suitcase went home with him. He is not about to give it up hoping it will make things better.

He already has his, and hopes for more the way he got the first one.

The rich don't get richer by sharing the wealth. Maybe they could but why take the chance?

 

[careerfurloughee]

That suitcase went home with him. He is not about to give it up hoping it will make things better.

And that in a nutshell is the problem. LCC sees employees as a liabiltity and SWA an asset.

 

[chevyman]

I don't know of any way to get the info for a specific airport - the DOT doesn't report that, only for each "reporting carrier".

I guess one could safely surmise that PHL has an effect on our overall baggage performance, so take that overall performance as an indicator of PHL performance. In that light, here's the annual baggage numbers since 1997. 2006 isn't reported as the DOT does not publish a running average during the year.

1997 - 4.24 reports per 1000 passengers (#4 of 10 carriers reporting)
1998 - 4.09 (#3 of 10)
1999 - 5.08 (#6 of 10)
2000 - 4.76 (#3 of 10)
2001 - 3.86 (#2 of 11)
2002 - 2.95 (#2 of 10)
2003 - 3.55 (#7 of 17)
2004 - 5.33 (#13 of 19)
2005 - 9.62 (#15 of 18)

Jim

[Edit to add]

You'll notice the increase in the number of reporting carriers toward the bottom. Through 2000, only the "majors" were big enough to report. In 2001, the 1st express carrier - American Eagle - became big enough to report. The number of express carriers has become half the list since then.

Thanks Jim for those numbers. Looks like things have trended in the down direction the last three years. Maybe this has to do with compensation,bankruptcy,etc,etc,etc, but without other data impossible to say. My guess would be compensation packages and attitudes caused by the bankruptcies. I think modus operindi at AAA will be hire at dirt cheap wages and expect training to be a large part of cost permanently for the foreseeable future.

 

[john john]

Heck, it doesn't take a rocket scienties to list the top 3-4 reasons for PHL's baggage problems....

1 - too many RJ that are too often weight restricted. Either the bags don't arrive in PHL on the same RJ as the passenger or they don't leave PHL on the same RJ as the passenger.

2 - ATC/infrastructure/wx - schedules are disrupted too often, leading to missed connections, weight restricted RJ's, etc.

3 - Too many inexperienced people with too little training/supervision mixed with too little working equipment. When you're operating at minimum staffing levels, having just 5-10% of experienced workers supervising new hires means that you're really 10-20% short - the experience folks are supervising and the newhires are working only half as fast due to inexperience.

4 - TSA/baggage delivery (the dreaded "bag belt breakdowns").

You could probbly add

5 - too many affiliate carriers who make a profit as long as they depart. Weight restricted - doesn't matter, they get paid per departure, not per bag. Missed connections - doesn't matter - paid per departure, not per passenger or bag.
Jim

RIGHT ON!

How does SWA do it?

NO RJ'S

 

[Elevation]

Its not the rj's that cause the bag issues, it's personnel problems due to training and apathy. Plenty of major airlines have rj's and they whip US on a large scale. RJ is a cop out imo. ORD JFK LGA all have airspace issues and don't have major issues with bags at other airlines.

 

[Breath_of_Fresh_USAirways]

:blink: ..hahaha. and please don't forget that all important Air Cart for PHL!!
And HOT don't forget HOT!! :unsure:

Hot. Very hot. And filthy rich, too. But no longer allowed in most casinos in LAS, either...

http://www2.usairways.com/common/resources...os/kirby_LG.jpg

 

[john john]

Its not the rj's that cause the bag issues, it's personnel problems due to training and apathy. Plenty of major airlines have rj's and they whip US on a large scale. RJ is a cop out imo. ORD JFK LGA all have airspace issues and don't have major issues with bags at other airlines.

I with work with DL AA CO NW UA on a daily airport operations level believe me that have RJ’s problems (reliably w/b crew etc…)

 

[Elevation]

I with work with DL AA CO NW UA on a daily airport operations level believe me that have RJ’s problems (reliably w/b crew etc…)

We are talking bag numbers here.

 

[FWAAA]

6 - The flawed marketing stategy of funneling every single passenger traveling from the Northeast to the South, the Caribbean, or the West Coast through PHL -- while most other "Legacy Carriers" (AA, UA, DL), as well as some of the "LCC's" (WN, B6), offer non-stop flights between those geographical points.

Exactly. Excellent point.

And that's not what Southwest does at PHL. Sure, there may be a few connecting pax, but I doubt it's more than a couple dozen a day at PHL for WN. Contrast that to the thousands over at US at PHL. Using weight restricted RJs (as others smarter than I am pointed out earlier).

 

[Atlantic]

Getting back on point, what's the cleanest way to service South America------------doing it ourselves,with our own A/C, or buying a piece of another airline, with all the baggage that comes with that transaction. Stick a fork in this rumore.

 

[zethya]

Getting back on point, what's the cleanest way to service South America------------doing it ourselves,with our own A/C, or buying a piece of another airline, with all the baggage that comes with that transaction. Stick a fork in this rumore.

1. There are NO open slots in current deep South America bi-lateral agreements for any U.S. carrier not already flying there.
2. In order for US to fly to Brazil or Argentina (the principal countries in question), they would need to aquire additional aircraft, since the US 767/200s are too weak to make the trip and US would not likely sacrifice a TA 333 for the route. The only way the US 767s could possibly make Sao Paulo or Rio with acceptable cargo loads would be via FLL.

 

[Atlantic]

Slots are bought, traded, swapped in this business all the time. The reason I think this is a nonstarter is that Delta is betting the bank on their survival on outside North Amarican routes. Why would the sell off SA routes if they make money? And if they don't make money, why do we want that headeche?
We should look more to Europe.