Over the weekend I caught a new TV ad for Phoenix based America West. Shot in black and white, the ad features a gate attendant calling passengers to board in groups of 40 like rival Southwest Airlines. The screen then cuts to a shot of someone being passed overhead at a rave, while everyone else is shown in a constant stage of chaos. The commercial finishes with a visual and verbal reminder that all seats on America West are assigned. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it an 8 as America West clearly differentiates their product from Southwest and it's a promise Cactus easily fulfills (unlike the disastrous Every Flight Counts campaign). The problem Cactus faces doing this type of comparison advertising is just about everyone knows how Southwest boards their aircraft and they like it. With Southwest it's a cattle car boarding procedure; you get a bag of peanuts and a soda; and you'll get there on time. With AmWest you get an assigned seat, a bag of peanuts and a soda, and hopefully get there on time. Even though their on-time performance now leads the industry, the perception of America West being a less than reliable carrier is still out there. Changing that perception is the greatest challenge of Cactus' new ad agency. RT Simpson Phoenix