Shaking a Fist at the Airlines
10:02 AM April 7, 2008
What a rough week it's been for U.S. airlines. Yes, they're struggling with higher fuel costs, but they're also performing poorly (or just going out of businesss).
AIRLINE QUALITY: The annual Airline Quality Rating survey provides no surprises. Passengers are mad as heck at the airlines. Complaints rose by 60% in 2007. There were more lost bags, overbooked flights, bumped passengers, frustrated travellers... and fewer on-time flights than in the previous year.
Airlines that stand out: Southwest (fewest complaints). US Airways (most complaints). AirTran (best baggage handling). American Eagle (most lost bags).
AIRLINES GO BELLY UP: In one week, Aloha Airlines, ATA, and Skybus all went kaput. Now there are fewer flights from Southern California to Hawaii. That means higher fares. Already, $600 flights to Hawaii from LAX have skyrocketed up to $900.
FAA SAFETY INSPECTION ABUSES: We learn from a whistleblower that the government agency responsible for airline safety was too cozy with the industry it was supposed to police. The FAA allowed Southwest Airlines to fly jets even though the planes were not in compliance with safety regulations. One plane was allowed to continue to carry passengers, even though it had a crack in its fuselage.
Now we've got one more thing to worry about when we fly, in addition to terrorism. We have to wonder whether the airline is cutting corners when it comes to maintenance... and we have worry that the government may be allowing it to happen! Nice. Don't we deserve better? What do you think?
Posted by KTLA Webmaster | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
What I don't get is that the airlines know what planes/flights are going to be cancelled and they do not notify their customers way in advance. I also would think the airlines would put in service airplanes that would temporarily replace those other planes/flights. None of the airlines care about their passengers. Congress needs to pass a passenger bill of rights that is not slanted towards the airlines; this is the only way to get the airlines attention. We have written many letters/e-mails to CEO's of the airlines, both positive and negative, on our recent experiences. The only response we get is that they received our letter/e-mail and give us the blah blah blah about how concerned they are about customer service. BTW....we seldom get a response and when we do, it is "canned" and does not address our concerns.
Posted by: Rick and David | April 10, 2008 at 08:11 AM
I couldn't believe the passenger's rights bill failed. Now I understand. I guess the airlines figure if they don't do the maintence they'll kill us and we won't need rights anyway. But I don't think anyone is surprised - money over people wins.
Posted by: George the Rat | April 07, 2008 at 10:22 PM
We're about to send an American to Mars (60 Minutes), but can't safely send a Californian to Hawaii. What's wrong with this picture?
Hawaii depends very heavily on tourist traffic. More lost jobs. Will the bleeding ever end?
Posted by: jozielee | April 07, 2008 at 07:50 PM
I heard you (well Bill Smith) talking about this, this morning. What blows my mind even more was where you stated the “safety inspection abuses”. If that was discussed this morning, I missed it.
That is absolutely WRONG and the people involved need to be prosecuted for this and not receive a “smack on the hand”. You’re right…we deserve better and should receive better!!
It’s bad enough to have to deal with the high airfares, long lines at check-in/security, lost bags, rude agents, etc. Now we have to also worry about the aircraft and are the people in charge doing what they’re suppose to do…and watching out for us. This is NUTS!!
Posted by: Laura in Palmdale | April 07, 2008 at 10:49 AM