Baggage weighs
down US Airways
Airline ranks last in customer service
STEVE HARRISON
sharrison@charlotteobserver.com
US Airways is again taking its lumps when it comes to customer service, ranking last among 14 major carriers in the annual Airline Quality Rating released Monday.
The Tempe, Ariz.-based carrier fared well in the percentage of flights that arrived on-time and in the rate of passengers bumped from flights during 2006.
But US Airways mishandled luggage at a greater rate than any other major carrier, and its rate of customer complaints tied with United Airlines for the highest.
The good news for US Airways, which has its largest hub in Charlotte, is it was one of only two airlines that scored higher compared to 2005. Northwest also improved.
What's unclear is what drove the improvement.
"US Airways got better than anyone else," said Dean Headley, associate professor of marketing at Wichita State University, which conducted the survey along with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. "Was that because they merged with America West and America West didn't drag them down? Given what they are trying to do -- put two corporate cultures together -- improving is a pretty good feat."
In 2005, the last time the airlines were surveyed separately, America West ranked sixth of 17 airlines, while US Airways came in 15th.
The survey uses U.S. Department of Transportation data for its rankings and then applies them to its own formula. The rankings have been issued since 1991, and take disjointed government data and packages them for consumers and the media.
US Airways spokesman Phil Gee said some of the airline's problems last year were because of its merger with America West. When the two airlines merged their Web sites in May, passengers were irked by glitches such as displaying inaccurate Dividend Miles balances.
The airline averaged 1.3 complaints per 100,000 passengers through the first five months of 2006. From June through August, US Airways' average rose to 1.8 complaints per 100,000 passengers. The rate of complaints dropped in the last four months of the year.
The airline's other problem is mishandling luggage. US Airways mishandled 7.8 pieces of luggage per 1,000 passengers, compared to an industry average of 6.5. Among the nation's largest carriers, Delta Air Lines had the second-worst baggage performance, at 6.8.
In 2005, US Airways' rate was worse, at 9.6. US Airways has said the luggage problem is focused in Philadelphia, which has been plagued by ramp worker shortages and outdated equipment. The airline is spending $20 million to improve Philadelphia, the airline's second-largest hub.
The airline believes it's already getting better. The percent of flights where baggage is sent to the carousel in Philadelphia within 30 minutes of the plane's arrival time was 95.5 percent in March, up from 82.2 percent in October.
"I think in Philadelphia we've seen some real movement, but it's not consistent yet," Gee said.
Charlotte has long been considered a relatively trouble-free hub for US Airways, though it's been beset by problems recently. When the airline switched to a single reservations system March 4, the airline's self-service kiosks didn't work, and the airline was overwhelmed by long lines, with some passengers waiting more than three hours to see an agent.
Two weeks later, a late winter storm caused cancellations throughout the east coast. There were again long lines in Charlotte, and roughly 3,000 people slept in the airport one night.
Some ticket and gate agents have complained that understaffing made problems worse at Charlotte. Airline executives said they have no plans to increase staffing here.
Those problems would appear in the next quality survey released in 2008.
Overall, most airline's quality rankings diminished last year.
Headley attributed the decline to airlines flying nearly full. Because of high fuel prices, airlines have been hesitant to add new flights.
"It's small planes and less mainline capacity (non-regional airlines)," Headley said. "The growth in the system has all been regional carriers. Load factors are now above 80 percent. Even after 9-11, they were at 65 or 70 percent."
Hawaiian Airlines had the best score, followed by JetBlue. The Airline Quality Rating was first used in 1991. To read the full report, go to www.aqr.aero.
down US Airways
Airline ranks last in customer service
STEVE HARRISON
sharrison@charlotteobserver.com
US Airways is again taking its lumps when it comes to customer service, ranking last among 14 major carriers in the annual Airline Quality Rating released Monday.
The Tempe, Ariz.-based carrier fared well in the percentage of flights that arrived on-time and in the rate of passengers bumped from flights during 2006.
But US Airways mishandled luggage at a greater rate than any other major carrier, and its rate of customer complaints tied with United Airlines for the highest.
The good news for US Airways, which has its largest hub in Charlotte, is it was one of only two airlines that scored higher compared to 2005. Northwest also improved.
What's unclear is what drove the improvement.
"US Airways got better than anyone else," said Dean Headley, associate professor of marketing at Wichita State University, which conducted the survey along with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. "Was that because they merged with America West and America West didn't drag them down? Given what they are trying to do -- put two corporate cultures together -- improving is a pretty good feat."
In 2005, the last time the airlines were surveyed separately, America West ranked sixth of 17 airlines, while US Airways came in 15th.
The survey uses U.S. Department of Transportation data for its rankings and then applies them to its own formula. The rankings have been issued since 1991, and take disjointed government data and packages them for consumers and the media.
US Airways spokesman Phil Gee said some of the airline's problems last year were because of its merger with America West. When the two airlines merged their Web sites in May, passengers were irked by glitches such as displaying inaccurate Dividend Miles balances.
The airline averaged 1.3 complaints per 100,000 passengers through the first five months of 2006. From June through August, US Airways' average rose to 1.8 complaints per 100,000 passengers. The rate of complaints dropped in the last four months of the year.
The airline's other problem is mishandling luggage. US Airways mishandled 7.8 pieces of luggage per 1,000 passengers, compared to an industry average of 6.5. Among the nation's largest carriers, Delta Air Lines had the second-worst baggage performance, at 6.8.
In 2005, US Airways' rate was worse, at 9.6. US Airways has said the luggage problem is focused in Philadelphia, which has been plagued by ramp worker shortages and outdated equipment. The airline is spending $20 million to improve Philadelphia, the airline's second-largest hub.
The airline believes it's already getting better. The percent of flights where baggage is sent to the carousel in Philadelphia within 30 minutes of the plane's arrival time was 95.5 percent in March, up from 82.2 percent in October.
"I think in Philadelphia we've seen some real movement, but it's not consistent yet," Gee said.
Charlotte has long been considered a relatively trouble-free hub for US Airways, though it's been beset by problems recently. When the airline switched to a single reservations system March 4, the airline's self-service kiosks didn't work, and the airline was overwhelmed by long lines, with some passengers waiting more than three hours to see an agent.
Two weeks later, a late winter storm caused cancellations throughout the east coast. There were again long lines in Charlotte, and roughly 3,000 people slept in the airport one night.
Some ticket and gate agents have complained that understaffing made problems worse at Charlotte. Airline executives said they have no plans to increase staffing here.
Those problems would appear in the next quality survey released in 2008.
Overall, most airline's quality rankings diminished last year.
Headley attributed the decline to airlines flying nearly full. Because of high fuel prices, airlines have been hesitant to add new flights.
"It's small planes and less mainline capacity (non-regional airlines)," Headley said. "The growth in the system has all been regional carriers. Load factors are now above 80 percent. Even after 9-11, they were at 65 or 70 percent."
Hawaiian Airlines had the best score, followed by JetBlue. The Airline Quality Rating was first used in 1991. To read the full report, go to www.aqr.aero.
