Loading ...In 2007, US Airways had the worst on-time performance record of all major airlines, and just one year later the carrier has turned that around and is rated the best.
The airline’s turnaround has certainly been dramatic, particularly considering that many of its flights service the northeast where traffic congestion is typically the worst. Even at airports having the worst on-time records, US Airways has been running more or less on-time.
Nearly 79 percent of the US Airways flights at New York’s La Guardia Airport arrived on-time in May, compared with 57 percent for American Airlines and 58% for United, according to data supplied by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
In order to make this significant progress, US Airways began offering financial incentives to its workers to achieve better results.
The airline has committed around $50 million to make necessary operational changes, upgrade software and equipment, and fixing existing computer problems that carried over from its merger with America West. It’s also hiring new airport workers and management, changing the process for how aircraft and crews are scheduled, and it has built an important new facility for luggage screening at the Philadelphia airport.
US Airways has also changed the baggage handling process so that luggage for connecting flights is moved by runners to transfer the luggage directly instead of using a central sorting area.
www.usairways.com
