November 16, 2007
US airlines, hoping to ease the pain of winter weather delays, are beefing up services, staffing and flight schedules as part of a concerted effort to avoid the operational meltdowns that made last winter especially messy for some carriers.
Unpredictable winter weather is a yearly nuisance for airlines. But major delays and strandings for passengers at JetBlue Airways and American Airlines last winter revealed shortcomings in an airline industry that is flying packed planes with little margin for error built into schedules.
With pressure from unhappy passengers finding some backing in Washington, and holiday air traffic likely to surpass last year’s, carriers are moving to minimize weather-related delays and ease the strain for affected travelers.
“I think everybody is a little bit more attuned to all the mistakes that were made last year,” said airline consultant Darryl Jenkins. “There is absolutely no slack in the systems,” he said.
In February, JetBlue suffered a major service disruption and public relations nightmare when an ice storm prompted the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights and stranded passengers for days. A similar incident in December stranded American Airlines passengers on the tarmac for hours.
Despite economic weakness, rising ticket prices and the well-publicized debacles of last winter, airlines see no let-up in travel demand this season.
In fact, the Air Transport Association said on Monday it expects a 4 percent year-over-year increase in the number of passengers traveling globally on US carriers during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Major carriers are promoting the steps they are taking to ensure smooth travel year round. But they acknowledge that this year is shaping up to be the worst in memory for flight delays and are urging travelers to be prepared.
“If you always expect the worst and you don’t have the worst then your frame of mind will be more positive,” said Jim May, president of the industry’s leading trade group, the Air Transport Association.
Northwest Airlines last week announced several initiatives to blunt the impact of storm delays. The airline said it would waive rebooking fees for customers delayed by weather and mechanical problems.
The carrier, which has been criticized for insufficient staffing, said it increased the number of reserve pilots by 30 percent. Northwest also said it has increased staffing of flight attendants and reservations agents.
American Airlines has said it is reserving seats in key markets on peak travel days for use by passengers whose flights have been canceled or delayed due to weather.
Other initiatives at American include providing customers with earlier weather information and invoking storm policies earlier to accommodate passengers whose flights have been affected by hurricanes.
United Airlines has invested in self-service technology to keep inconvenienced travelers informed about their delays and to help them rebook quickly.
Barbara Higgins, United’s vice president in charge of customer experience, said it improves the image of the entire airline industry if carriers attempt to head off problems.
“We certainly don’t take delight in any other carrier not performing well,” Higgins said. “We believe that any positive service is good for the industry, regardless of who the carrier is.”
Carriers this year also are scheduling more flights to accommodate demand. Industry scheduling practices, however, have been criticized by regulators, some congressional lawmakers and passenger advocates for aggravating congestion and delays at big airports.
Airlines are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to minimize delays nationwide, but the agency has said it is prepared to cut flight schedules at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport, the worst for long delays. Congestion and delays in New York often ripple through the system and ground flights elsewhere.
Carriers blame the outdated air traffic control system for much of their problems and say their scheduling practices only reflect demand.
(Reuters)