America West slips back to bottom of on-time rankings TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) =97 America West Airlines was back at the bottom of=20 industry on-time performance rankings in January after soaring near the top= =20 early last year. America West arrived on time 77.8% of the time in January,= =20 last among the 10 major airlines, according to U.S. Department of=20 Transportation figures. The industry average was 84.9%. America West's=20 on-time performance has fallen sharply since last year, when Department of= =20 Transportation numbers showed it ranked first, second or third from January= =20 to June in on-time flight arrivals. The company slipped to fifth in July=20 and hasn't gone higher than sixth since October. Company officials blamed=20 the poor performance on foggy weather, new airport security measures=20 implemented at the first of the year and large passenger loads because of=20 January's Fiesta Bowl. Company spokeswoman Janice Monahan added that Sky=20 Harbor International Airport, where America West operates most of its=20 flights, is handling more capacity and demand than other airports because=20 America West and Southwest are operating full-flight schedules, unlike=20 other airlines. An Arizona State University professor who tracks the=20 airline industry questioned America West's explanations because all=20 airlines are affected by the weather and new security procedures." "Fog could only happen here a few times," professor Michael Hitt told the=20 East Valley Tribune. "There are many other places that have a lot more=20 problems with weather than we have." America West's top rankings early last= =20 year marked a dramatic shift from a nearly four-year streak during which=20 the Tempe-based airline often ranked at or near the bottom in on-time= flights. In an attempt to improve its rankings, America West has introduced a=20 program to reward employees if the company receives favorable reviews for=20 customer service and efficiency. The airline will pay bonuses of up to $100= =20 a month to its employees if it ranks among the top carriers in on-time=20 performance and customer satisfaction. About 12,000 employees would be=20 eligible to receive the payments, which means America West could pay more=20 than $1 million each month in bonuses. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.dbombo.net/muddyangels/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************