Unlike some of my esteemed travel writing colleagues, I won’t make the mistake of confusing a few tarmac delay activists with the entire passenger rights movement. Still, the August airline performance numbers, which have just been released by our friends at the Department of Transportation, merit a closer look.
You might think ExpressJet Airlines flight 2816 would be a standout. Not quite correct.
Here’s the full list:
1. ExpressJet Airlines flight 2816 from Houston to Minneapolis/St. Paul, 8/7/09 – delayed on tarmac 337 minutes
2. AirTran Airways flight 782 from Atlanta to St. Louis, 8/12/09 – delayed on tarmac 253 minutes
3. US Airways flight 2135 from Boston to New York LaGuardia, 8/21/09 – delayed on tarmac 252 minutes
4. US Airways flight 2131 from Boston to New York LaGuardia, 8/21/09 – delayed on tarmac 244 minutes
5. JetBlue Airways flight 1258 from Washington Dulles to Boston, 8/21/09 – delayed on tarmac 241 minutes
That’s two US Airways flights from Boston to LaGuardia on the same day, held on the tarmac more than four hours in an air traffic control delay. Sure, the ExpressJet incident looks bad, but US Airways is better represented for the month.
And let’s not forget JetBlue flight 1258, which was delayed only a few minutes less than the US Airways flights.
That’s something of a surprise, considering JetBlue’s reluctance to keep anyone waiting.
I’m reasonably certain that there will be no meaningful time-limit rule on tarmac delays in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization Bill, so this horse race is bound to continue for the foreseeable future.
Does anyone care to predict the winner — uh, make that loser — for 2009?
(Photo: Brian Indrelunas/Flickr Creative Commons)
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
It should be against the law to write an article this biased. It is slander. If you don’t like US Airways, don’t fly them. US Airways is the best airline in 2009 in the United States. You can look up the stats.
Look at the actual numbers, not who had the longest delays.
Comparing US Airways delay on the ground in LaGuardia in a huge Airbus aircraft to a reynolds wrap deathtrap of a Embraer 135 at Continental Express parked at a pretty much vacant airport in the middle of the night is not the same thing.
Christopher Elliot’s longtime bias against US Airways is well known. At one point he went so far is to say he wished the company would “just disappear”. As such, I find his “work” in all matters highly suspect and have diminished respect for those who continue to give him a forum.
Just my 2 cents worth and , btw, not a US Airways employee.
Angry worker’s diatribe would be funny if it weren’t so far off base. Regardless of the statistics, the traveling public knows that US Airways is so far behind in cutomer service and satisfaction as to be more of less of a joke, and its merger with America West is still not fully consummated after all these years.
I’ve never seen any bias. These stories are based on government statistics reported to them by the airlines. USAirways obviously has some serious customer service problems. Denying them won’t help them solve them.
Don’t blame the messenger.
Unlike “Angry Worker”, I don’t believe that the article was biased (numbers are numbers). But I do agree that the article is misleading.
I’ve been in line for hours at BOS (and LGA) trying to take off when weather rolls in, or the folks in ATC are tearing their hair out trying to safely fit far too many planes into too little sky over New York. Sometimes it takes a good long while to get off the ground.
The fact that both of these US Airways flights were on a single day tells me that this was by no means usual circumstances.
Shoud US Airways have cancelled the flights instead of waiting in line? That sure wouldn’t have been my choice! Should they have gone back to the gate to give everyone a “potty break”, taken the better part of an hour to get everyone off (assuming there was a gate available at all), give them a few minutes in the terminal, and then back on the plane? And then end up at the back of an even longer line of aircraft queued up to take off?
No thank you!
Perhaps when aircraft have been waiting for a certain period of time, the FAA can write rules for planes not at the front of the line to just set the parking brakes and give folks a quick chance at the rest rooms, without losing one’s place in line, and without violating regulations regarding having everyone seated and strapped in during taxi. In fact, it is possible that the Captain allowed this anyway. We just don’t know.
The Continental Express debacle was inexcusable. These two, I’m willing to write off as a “bad day in Boston”.
@bob young, that’s not quite accurate. In 2002, I wrote a story about how US Airways (under a different leadership) refused to compensate a passenger for damaged luggage. I ended the story by saying that stories like this make you wish US Airways would do us all a favor and go out of business.
However, I never said that I hoped the company would go out of business.
Christopher Elliott October 7, 2009 at 10:14 am
However, I never said that I hoped the company would go out of business.
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That’s the impression I got when you wrote about Alitalia as well.
Chris, I hope you checked the specifics with someone at US Airways. As a frequent shuttle traveler, many times I’ve boarded the “3pm” to LGA at 5pm or later during bad weather days. I was told it was necessary to keep the 3pm flight number to maintain our takeoff priority.
And I’ll add my plus 1 to Bob’s comment. This kind of ground delay happens all the time on the shuttle routes, and I’ve never seen passengers get bent out of shape. It comes with the territory for those of us that do it every week, 30-40 weeks a year. God forbid the government pass some kind of legislation capping a delay at 3 hours. What if I am trying to get home and 3 minutes from take off they have to turn around and go back to the gate because “that’s the law”?
As a travel agent, I find it amusing that some people actually defend USAIR. I’ve always said there motto should be “We’re USAIR and we don’t care” I have more trouble with USAIRWAYS than any of the other airlines combined. This after I was able to reduce my USAIR sales from 28% to 14% in the past 7 years, and I work in a hub. From the top down, they treat their customers as if they are a necessary evil. I thought the AW takeover would help, and it did for a little while but since the economy went downhill, so has their customer service.
As for tarmac delays, they happen, I suggest in the crowded Northeast Market that you take the train, from door to door it’s usually faster. Plus with walk up shuttle fares in the $350 range (and that’s down from $650 a few months ago) who wants to pay more to sit on a runway.
I’m just wondering why bob young continues to follow Chris’s columns.
Just my four cents. (Inflation.)
Chris and others. USAirways traffic flys in the most congested airspace in the world (East Coast Corridor). Try driving to work in your car everyday and try to not take a delay every once in a while, and without forgetting something you were supposed to take with you. I really don’t think the average person has a clue as too how many things have to be in sync to be ontime everytime. Maintenance, Parts, Crews, Baggage, Ground Equipment, Ticketing, Security, Weather and I have probably left out several other things all the while traveling at 500+ miles per hour. In my opinion the Airlines do the best they can to accomodate customers while trying to stay in business.
A response to Jeff:
I’m a “million-miler” and longtime Chairman’s Preferred member with US AIRWAYS, and I fly at least 120 segments a year (sometimes more). I also pretty regularly fly most of the other majors and Jet Blue.
Perhaps I have a biased point of view, but I still prefer flying with US Air crews over any of the other majors. I do like Jet Blue as well.
I have no problem with US AIRWAYS customer service either, but I admit that here my status does make a big difference. It’s always better to talk with someone empowerd to help, and for whom English is a first language.
As far as taking the train goes, I couldn’t agree more. Between Boston, New York, Philadelphia and the Baltimore/Washington area, The Acela (or even the Metroliner) is less expensive, much more comfortable, and usually faster. Plus (assuming the outlets are working), I can plug in my notebook and be productive (and connected) pretty much the whole way.