Airlines boost on-time performance By Barbara DeLollis and Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY The beleaguered U.S. airline industry got its best monthly scores on record= =20 for getting passengers to their destinations on time along with their=20 luggage, new Department of Transportation statistics for September show.=20 And the top performers for on-time arrivals were the two most financially=20 troubled big airlines =97 US Airways, which is in bankruptcy proceedings,= and=20 United, which is struggling to stay out of bankruptcy court. Overall,=20 airlines' 88% on-time arrivals was the best since 1995, when the government= =20 started including mechanical failure in its record keeping. The record for= =20 lost bags of 3.04 per 100,000 passengers was the best since the government= =20 started its monthly report in 1987. All of that led to the lowest ratio of customer complaints for the year,=20 0.86 per 100,000 passengers. Airlines credit their improved performance to= =20 fewer planes, fewer passengers, greater effort from employees and the=20 retirement of older, less reliable planes. Available airline seat miles, a= =20 standard industry measure, fell 8.3% in September compared with September=20 2000, the Air Transport Association reports. And September is traditionally= =20 a slower travel month after the busy summer vacation season. "When you put= =20 it all together, you get a system that darn well better perform better,"=20 says Dean Headley, aviation industry expert at Wichita State University.=20 Passengers have helped, says Bill McGee, editor of the Consumer Reports=20 Travel Letter. They continue to arrive earlier for their flights, making it= =20 easier for airlines to push back on time from the gate. And they are=20 packing lighter, making for fewer bags. Both US Airways and United say that in addition to toping the DOT charts,=20 their on-time records in September were the best in their histories. US=20 Airways landed 90.9% of its flights on time, while United was close behind= =20 at 89.8%. "Since we filed for Chapter 11 protection (in August), we've run= =20 the best airline in the industry," says Bob Maloney, US Airways' managing=20 director of operations. He credits employees who "knew what we were up=20 against." United says that running an on-time airline not only keeps=20 customers happy but saves money. Pete McDonald, United executive vice=20 president, says each canceled flight costs the company about $7,000, and=20 each delay minute costs about $43. Continental Airlines had the fewest=20 lost bags, with 2.39 per 100,000 passengers. "The amount of attention has=20 been incredible," says Continental's baggage chief Tuggy Eiermann. The=20 on-time and baggage records could be difficult for airlines to maintain=20 with the holiday season =97 and fuller planes =97 starting this month and=20 government requirements that all bags be matched to passengers taking=20 effect in January. "No doubt, there's going to be some hiccups," McGee says. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (I95.5FM) http://www.i955fm.com (Radio Station I95.5FM) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************