Middle Seat: How US Airways Vaulted to First Place

[Ari707]

Middle Seat: How US Airways Vaulted to First Place

Here’s proof that even under adverse conditions, airlines can run on time if they are well run. Read what US Airways is doing right.

By Scott McCartney, The Wall Street Journal

Last year, US Airways was the worst among major airlines in on-time performance. So far this year, it's No. 1.

The turnaround has been dramatic, especially considering that much of the airline's service is in the Northeast where air-traffic congestion has been particularly brutal. But even at the nation's worst airports, US Airways Group Inc. has run more or less on time. At New York's La Guardia Airport, for example, nearly 79 percent of all US Airways flights arrived on time in May, compared with an abysmal 57 percent for AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and 58 percent for UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

How can one airline with big congested hubs run on time while other major carriers stumble? US Airways rallied its work force to focus on one goal — getting planes pushed back from the gate on time — and began offering financial incentives to workers for better service. [Full Article]

[DHG750R]

Bravo, well done by my friends and former co-workers at US !

[LGA777]

It is a great article but many will always find pleasure in bashing US. My two flights on AA last week where 65 mins and 3 hours 10 mins late respectively and I don't think I encountered one happy seeming, smilling or very helpful AA employee yet all but one of my 10 recent US flights have arrived early ( the 10th pushed early but arrived about 8 mins late due ATC) and on every flight and every airport I encountered only friendly smiling US employees. No disrespect is entended to any AA employees on here but getting tired of the constant AA praising and US bashing,

Regards

LGA777