Gripes About Airlines Fewer in March, April

WASHINGTON — Major U.S. airlines’ on-time performance improved in March, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

In other encouraging signs for air travelers, the department said complaints to the airlines of mishandled baggage fell during March while the number of consumer complaints filed with the government during April dropped to its lowest level in 14 months.

For the 14 largest U.S. passenger airlines, 78.8% of flights arrived on time in March, compared to 74.7% in February, the DOT reported.

The number of mishandled baggage complaints dropped to an average of 7.48 per 1,000 passengers in March, down from the 8.75 complaints per 1,000 passengers in February.

The number of consumer complaints filed with the government during April fell to 2,033, a 21% drop from the 2,584 submitted in March and the lowest number of complaints logged by the department for any month since February, 1987.

Continental and Eastern airlines were the target of by far the most consumer complaints filed with the government in April, the DOT said, with Continental being the butt of 14.61 complaints per 100,000 passengers and Eastern of 12.07 per 100,000 passengers.

Together, the two airlines accounted for 44% of all complaints filed with the government against any U.S. airline during the month.

Both airlines are the subject of special DOT and Federal Aviation Administration inspections begun last month after questions were raised by federal regulators about their financial and safety fitness.

The government began issuing monthly consumer reports in November, 1987, in an effort to encourage the airlines to improve their passenger services.

The department counts a flight as being on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival time.

To assure that safety is not compromised, the report does not count delays caused by mechanical problems.

The on-time performance data collected by the government to prepare its monthly reports is available to air travelers, on a flight-by-flight basis, through travel agents with access to the airlines’ computerized reservation systems.

The major airlines’ on-time flight performance in March was as follows, the DOT said:

Pacific Southwest, 92.3% of all flights on time; America West, 89.9%; Southwest, 86.3%; American, 83.8%; Pan American, 78.8%; Piedmont, 78.7%, and USAir, 78.5%.

United, 78.4% of all flights on time during March; Delta, 77.3%; Alaska and Eastern, 75.6%; Northwest, 75.2%; Trans World, 74.4%, and Continental, 71.6%.

The three major airlines with the highest rate of mishandled baggage complaints during March were Trans World with 11.74 complaints per 1,000 passengers, United with 9.05 and Piedmont with 8.22.

Those with the lowest rate of baggage complaints in March were Pan Am with 2.94 per 1,000 passengers, Southwest with 3.75 and Pacific Southwest with 5.08.

ON-TIME FLIGHTS AT LAX

Percentage of on-time flights at L.A. International in March:

Airline Percentage Pacific Southwest 96.5% America West 94.3 Alaska 89.1 American 88.6 USAir 86.0 United 83.4 Southwest 82.9 Delta 80.8 TWA 72.6 Piedmont 70.9 Pan American 70.8 Eastern 69.4 Northwest 68.4 Continental 67.7

Source: Dept. of Transportation

PERFORMANCE BY CARRIER

Overall percentage of flights arriving on time during March:

Airline Percentage Pacific Southwest 92.3% America West 89.9 Southwest 86.3 American 83.8 Pan American 78.8 Piedmont 78.7 USAir 78.5 United 78.4 Delta 77.3 Alaska 75.6 Eastern 75.6 Northwest 75.2 TWA 74.4 Continental 71.6

Source: Dept. of Transportation

THE LATEST 15 FLIGHTS

Flight % 15 minutes Airline number Origin/destination late or more Continental 1253 Wash. Nat’l/New Orleans 100% America West 724 Las Vegas/New York Kennedy 95.65 America West 3 Las Vegas/Chicago O’Hare 93.55 Delta 588 Phoenix/Dallas Ft. Worth 93.33 Continental 893 Houston Intercont./San Francisco 92.31 Continental 109 Miami/Houston Intercont. 92.31 Continental 1191 Atlanta/Denver 92.00 United 118 Kahului, Hawaii/Los Angeles 91.67 Continental 847 Wash. Dulles/Houston Inercont. 90.32 Continental 1251 Wash. Nat’l/New Orleans 90.00 Delta 1408 Long Beach/Dallas Ft. Worth 90.00 Eastern 192 Wash. Nat’l/Providence, R.I. 90.00 Piedmont 20 Orlando, Fla./Dayton, Ohio 89.29 USAir 412 Pittsburgh/Providence, R.I. 88.89 Continental 616 Cleveland/New York La Guardia 88.46

Source: Dept. of Transportation