Airlines post worst on-time performance of the year

by Tom Johansmeyer on

June was the worst month of the year for airline on-time performance since December, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Together, U.S. airlines had an on-time arrival rate of 76.1 percent, down from 80.5 percent in May. But, they had fewer delayed flights than in June 2008.

Hawaiian Airlines put up the best on-time results in June, with Delta subsidiary Comair at the other end of the spectrum. Continental had the fewest delays among the legacy carriers (those that had a large footprint before airline deregulation in 1978), and American Airlines was at the bottom of the barrel for this category.

Unsurprisingly, weather, equipment problems and airport congestion were cited as the most frequent reasons for flight delays. To count as a delay, a flight must be more than 15 minutes late – canceled and diverted flights also count. Through most of the year, flight delays fell largely because airlines were cutting routes and servicing fewer passengers.

Mishandled baggage fell, as well, year-over-year, though it was up from May to June. Reports were down 20 percent from June 2008 to June 2009. AirTran had the fewest gripes from passenger. American Eagle (a unit of American Airlines) had the most.

Aloha Airlines to end passenger service Monday

by Jamie Rhein on

Grant’s post about Aloha Airlines filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy wasn’t exactly the sound of a death knell, but since then, the airline has decided to call it quits on passenger service. After Monday, as in March 31, according to this AP article, there will be no more passenger reservations taken.

Those who have Aloha Airlines tickets already may be rerouted on United Airlines flights to the mainland or on Hawaiian Airlines if travel is between the islands. Those who don’t want those options, but who want their money back instead, can file in bankruptcy court. I don’t envy people who are left to sort out their travel plans on such short notice. Hopefully, they saw this coming. The Aloha Airlines Web site does have links to help passengers rebook.

The demise of the airline that has been around since 1946 is due to unfair competition and rising fuel costs the airline’s money folks say. I feel bad that Aloha Airlines hasn’t been able to continue. The first time I went to Hawaii, I flew Aloha Airlines from Oahu to The Big Island on a package deal. It was much cheaper than I had imagined it would be. The rental car and two nights in a hotel was included. The best thing about arranging for the trip was that we were able to set it up after we were already visiting my relatives on Oahu. For people who travel within Hawaii, I bet they are bummed.

The shipping function of Aloha Airlines is being taken over by a Seattle-based company. Maybe people could package themselves up as a way to get off the island with their unused tickets? In case you’re one of the one affected, here’s a link with questions and answers.

Best Airlines for 2007

by Willy Volk on

Recently, we mentioned the 2007 Airline Quality Rating. While the report is discouraging — 2006 saw more people bumped, more bags lost, and more flights delayed than in 2005 — the report isn’t all bad. It does spotlight the airlines that seem to be getting things right — giving savvy travelers a clue as to the airlines that will (likely) be best for 2007.

The AQR identified Hawaiian Airlines as the top-rated US airline. In the report, Hawaiian was noted as having a lower customer complaint rate than the industry average and the lowest mishandled baggage rate in the industry. Congrats, aloha, and awesome! In case you’re interested, the airlines rounding out the top 10 are:

2.) Jet Blue
3.) Air Tran
4.) Frontier
5.) Northwest
6.) Southwest
7.) Continental
8.) United
9.) Alaska
10.) American

If you want to learning more, the complete (PDF) report can be found on the AQR website and includes details about each of the 18 airlines ranked.