DEC "ON-TIME" Stats

[does this plane go to paris]

Oh, ok. There planes are NOT full, and they are making money. Bet your panties are still bunched.

WN's load factor has always been lower than the industry average. This week's announcement that WN had record load factor's should get someone in a dizzy. Seems that with all of the bad news WN has been having with their On Time stats the Customers have had enough time to choose whether to fly or boycott them. I guess the money flowing into their coffers and Employee's Profit Sharing is a sign which way the Customer wants to be treated.

 

[SKY HIGH]

Oh, ok. There planes are NOT full, and they are making money. Bet your panties are still bunched.

POINT IS, There's NOT as full as the legacies OR ON TIME. Yep, pulling a profit (Hedges helped them achieve that most of the last decade), but that isnt the ARTICLE here.

 

[jimntx]

Point is, nobody cares but you evidently. Their planes are full enough, AND they are making money.

 

[SKY HIGH]

Point is, nobody cares but you evidently. Their planes are full enough, AND they are making money.

Point is, apparently that's your ONLY point:

jimntx Posted 25 May 2010 - 05:49 PM
Veteran
=====================
Group:
Registered Member Posts:
6,008 Joined:
28-June 03 Well, I'm an AA employee who finds VERY little wrong with the way WN is managed. You can not argue with success, or maybe that's your beef with them. They've made money consistently over the years.....
=====================
So, according to you, Jimmy boy, IF ALL ELSE FAILS, mention profits. Almost HALF they're flights were late in December, ohh, that's ok. They made it profit.

 

[jimntx]

I never said it was ok, but evidently it is OK with the traveling, paying public. Just think, you can have a field day saying "I told you so," IF the public ever decides that on-time performance is more important than reasonable air fares, no checked bag fees, and lovely, cheerful employees, AND they start booking away from WN for all the reasons you think they should. Until then stick a sock in it. Nobody cares except you.

P.S. Did I mention that WN is making money?

 

[does this plane go to paris]

I never said it was ok, but evidently it is OK with the traveling, paying public. Just think, you can have a field day saying "I told you so," IF the public ever decides that on-time performance is more important than reasonable air fares, no checked bag fees, and lovely, cheerful employees, AND they start booking away from WN for all the reasons you think they should. Until then stick a sock in it. Nobody cares except you.

P.S. Did I mention that WN is making money?

jim, the quarterly results will soon be here. I wonder how many people boycotted Southwest for their terrible On Time Stats.

 

[SKY HIGH]

Nobody cares except you.

Ohh, LOOKY HERE. So does the government: http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2010/index.html

jim, the quarterly results will soon be here. I wonder how many people boycotted Southwest for their terrible On Time Stats.

........finally, an admission. "FOR THEIR TERRIBLE ON TIME STATS".

(done with this thread now)

 

[jimntx]

Ohh, LOOKY HERE. So does the government: http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2010/index.html

Thanks for the link. The lead item in the index was "3rd Quarter 2010 Airline Financial Data". Seems the low cost airlines did better than the network carriers. I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you. Didn't see any document going back to September that even mentioned On-Time Stats in its title. I did find one about traffic data that mentioned that Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other airline. THAT is the statistic that is most important.

And, even if the government does care, did you find any report that the government had even slapped WN's wrist--much less fined them or ordered the public to book away from WN to teach them a lesson.

P.S. Perhaps you didn't see my last P.S. They are making money without bag fees and unconscionable ticket change fees or any of the other nickel-and-dime charges the rest of us impose.

 

[WorldTraveler]

given that other network airilnes have had their time at the bottom of the OT barrel, it is doubtful that WN will suffer immense long-term damage.

But it actually IS a fairly significant news item that an airline that for years has run one of the best airlines from an operational standpoint - in addition to finances, HR etc - is now at the bottom of the OT barrel.

What hasn't been discuissed here and which is far more significant is where these delays are occurring and why WN saw their OT stats go to pot, long before they have integrated FL which has a bigger presence in the NE and which has posted better OT stats.

What seems clear is that there is some sort of systematic problem that is confronting WN and maybe - just maybe - their operational philosophy that has worked for decades may not work when they have more and more flights in the NE.... and changing the operational model WILL have an effect on WN"s profitability.

And of course, should WN be unable to reverse their on-time stats, other airlines will be more than quick to point out that THEIR airline is doing better than WN at OT - which does matter to at least some degree to at least some customers.

For an airline that has prided itself at how well it does at DOT statistics, being unable to boast that does matter.

 

[jimntx]

Well, a friend who flies WN almost exclusively mentioned today (I hadn't even thought of it even though I "knew" it), WN is a lot more apt to hold flights for connecting passengers than most of us--especially as you get down to last flights of the day to a destination. In commuting DAL/STL and the return, I have often heard them announce "Ladies and Gentlemen, for those you connecting to Flt #whatever to wherever, please proceed quickly to gate so-and-so, they are holding the flight for you." That almost NEVER happens on my airline (AA). That would explain some of the late arrivals.

And, as WT pointed out, it would be interesting to see where the departure delays/late arrivals are occurring. As we all suspected, their stats might suffer as they moved into the major airports in the East--like PHL and LGA--that have been prone to delays for years.

 

[john john]

WN could contract out a bunch of flights like other airlines do and then the stats are buried

 

[crazystnic]

WN is a good airline that makes money.
but I have noticed as I look at there departure boards in a NON scientific study that they have a lot of late flights recently.
I asked an agent In MHT and she confirmed what I had seen... Maybe there is something to it.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Well, a friend who flies WN almost exclusively mentioned today (I hadn't even thought of it even though I "knew" it), WN is a lot more apt to hold flights for connecting passengers than most of us--especially as you get down to last flights of the day to a destination. In commuting DAL/STL and the return, I have often heard them announce "Ladies and Gentlemen, for those you connecting to Flt #whatever to wherever, please proceed quickly to gate so-and-so, they are holding the flight for you." That almost NEVER happens on my airline (AA). That would explain some of the late arrivals.

And, as WT pointed out, it would be interesting to see where the departure delays/late arrivals are occurring. As we all suspected, their stats might suffer as they moved into the major airports in the East--like PHL and LGA--that have been prone to delays for years.

Delta used to be famous for holding flights for connections but eventually they realized that you can inconvenience 80% and 100% of the downline passengers or a small percentage of passengers on the delayed flight.

Again, some of WN's operating policies are likely going to have to change. Operating in delay prone NE airports is bad enough but holding flights and then expecting downline stations to make up the operation with 25 minute turns sentences the entire operation to chaos... exactly as we are seeing.

 

[SharoninSAT]

.
Our first goal will always be getting our customers to their destination safely, but ensuring an on-time arrival is a close second. Record load factors this year have contributed to our decisions to delay aircraft and hold for passengers who we wouldn’t have been able to accommodate if we had cancelled flights. We also know that customers want us to complete their flight so they can get to their destination, even if delayed. It’s a delicate balance we are always mindful of and seek to improve.

 

[BoeingBoy]

I wouldn't recommend writing off WN based on a couple of months of data - especially when the source of the data says it makes no claims for the accuracy of that data.

BTW, the BTS published the latest report which covers November. The worst airports for WN were LGA, SFO, and LAX.

Jim