Carriers Focus On On-Time

<B> Carriers Focus On On-Time</B>

By David Jonas

In its latest effort to improve on-time performance, United Airlines this spring will "gently educate" passengers to board and get seated earlier. Other major carriers also are emphasizing on-time arrivals--an important benchmark in gauging their product against that of competitors. "Everything stems from on-time performance," said TWA president Bill Compton. "It contributes positively to baggage handling, facilitating connecting passengers, minimizing complaints and maximizing compliments."

The U.S. Department of Transportation publishes on-time rankings based on data provided by the airlines, with flights considered "on time" if they land within 15 minutes of schedule. A close look at the reports showed that efforts put forth by a few of the nation's carriers are paying off.

United's "Time To Go" campaign has passengers seated 10 minutes before departure, doors closing five minutes later and the plane on the move exactly at departure time. United has introduced several new policies in the past year to boost its traditionally poor on-time performance. (It finished seventh in 1998 and ranks tenth among the 10 majors since DOT began tracking the figures in 1987). It has added Plexiglas sizers on some X-ray machines to limit the number and size of carry-on items; expanded the use of aircraft entry readers that update checkin, baggage and seating data from boarding passes; increased the time between connecting flights at hubs; and is refitting its Shuttle by United Boeing 737s with larger overhead bins.

The best-in-class performer, TWA, is having an on-time renaissance, leading the pack in the latter half of 1998 and again in February after a long stint in the basement. "After ranking at or near the bottom of the 10 major carriers between 1986 and 1996, we gathered an on-time task force," Compton said. "We identified the top 20 contributing factors, attacked each problem and gave ground crewmembers checklists that show a wider view of all the intricacies that come together to get a plane out on time."

TWA no longer holds departing flights for connecting passengers, though 97 percent still make the connecting flight, compared with "97 percent when we waited," Compton said.

American Airlines, on the other hand, will wait in certain situations. "We hold a flight up to 15 minutes if we are waiting on six or more connections," said executive vice president Robert Baker. AA scored second overall in 1998, though its numbers slipped in the first few months of 1999.

Delta Air Lines also has been gaining ground, jumping a spot or two in the rankings each year since 1995. Third overall in 1998, it attributed its success to the Schedule Council, created last year to develop and monitor schedule adjustments. "We have worked to reduce arrival rates at the busier airports, particularly Atlanta," said Fred Buttrell, who co-chairs the Council. "We've gone to a more continuous flow to smooth the schedule out and have been able to add to the number of daily arrivals while being better prepared for bottlenecks."

Continental takes a different approach, rewarding all employees with a $65 monthly bonus for a top-three finish or an on-time figure above 80 percent, and $100 for first place. That earned Continental the top spot for the first time ever the month it rolled out, though the carrier finished sixth overall in 1998. This February, it finished second.

Still, the on-time king is Southwest Airlines, whose point-to-point network and avoidance of major hubs helped it take first place in 1998 for the fifth time this decade.

The industry as a whole improved its on-time performance by nearly 8 percent from 1996 to 1997, to 82.4 percent, the highest average since 1991. But it slipped in 1998, when the 10 largest carriers scored just over 77 percent.

America West dropped to tenth in 1998, hitting bottom after a seven-year tailspin, though it has rebounded slightly in 1999.

"On-time performance is something the business traveler really pays for," said Buttrell. "And it is an important issue for the airlines, because it is the only quality metric that all the majors can agree on."

While individual on-time numbers may catch a traveler's eye, and even play a role in which airline they choose, weather is an equalizer. One carrier's performance for the month can be ruined by a major storm in one of its hubs. TWA, for example, earned first place in four consecutive months last year, but when a winter storm hit the middle of the country--including its St. Louis hub--it ended with just a fifth- place finish.