Katie Spiker spent 12 hours in an airport awaiting a one-hour flight last Thanksgiving. The Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences freshman’s sentiments perhaps sum up those of many Americans this year.
“Flying stinks!” she said. “Now if there is an hour delay, that’s good, but it shouldn’t be that way. You spend all this money for the luxury of fast travel and end up sitting in the airport forever.”
As airline flights pile up, so do delays and lost luggage. And according to a recent report by the inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, airlines are doing little to fix the problem.
One in four flights was delayed, canceled or diverted last year, affecting nearly 163 million passengers, according to the report.
“There is no single solution to the growing problem of delays and the
resulting consumer concern over air travel,” the report said.
“Clearly the airlines cannot
solve the delay and cancellation problem themselves, since many factors lie at its cause, but they should be doing their part.”
With the increase
in the number of flight delays, major airlines are attempting to take measures to solve the problem.
“Overall, we found the airlines were making progress toward meeting their Customer Service Commitment and that the Commitment has been a plus for air travelers on a number of important fronts,” according to a statement by Kenneth Mead, inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation. “But the airlines, airports, the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and, most importantly, the traveling public know the aviation system is not working well … and aggressive progress will be required by the airlines, airports and FAA if consumer confidence is
to be restored.”
The Atlanta-based Delta Airlines, which implemented a Customer Commitment Program in December of 1999, has reported a significant increase in passenger satisfaction. From January to November of 2000, the complaint ratio decreased 40 percent, time delays were cut in half and overbooking dropped nearly a quarter, according to Cindi Kurczewski, a Delta spokeswoman.
“We’ve implemented a number of programs to deal with these problems, and have had a fair measure of success,”
Kurczewski said.
“Delta has spent $500 million on customer improvements and $271 million on airport technology to reduce lines
and improve the accuracy of flight information.”
In 2001, Delta plans to spend nearly $100 million to improve air travel.
According to Kurczewski, Delta, which handled over 150 million pieces of baggage last year, was ranked second best in baggage claiming and fourth for on-time performance.
“There are areas that continually need improvements. Certainly we’d like to be number one in
those areas,” Kurczewski said.
But according to Mead, the airlines’ programs do not address customers’ biggest complaints — flight delays and cancellations. The report suggests the answer to air travel problems lie in a “cumulative mix of solutions — scheduling and technology are among them.”
Mead also called for the development of a system that informs passengers of problems with their flight even before they reach the airport.
In the wake of a 1999 snowstorm that stranded several lawmakers in a Detroit airport, legislatures have proposed a passengers’ bill of rights. Many see the Transportation Department’s report as further evidence of the need to take congressional action.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported the number of departure and arrival delays has increased by nearly 19 percent over the past year, while the FAA reported an increase of more than 20 percent in delays. Between 1995 and 1999, the number of travelers rose 16 percent, and the FAA forecasts the number of passengers will reach 1 billion in the next 10 years.
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