 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
America West lands last among airlines
By JEAN HELLER © St. Petersburg Times, published May 25, 2001 In an era when passengers think airline service is on a serious slide, Forbes magazine has calculated the worst of the worst and given its dubious achievement award to America West Airlines. America West ranked worst among major carriers last year in customer complaints, worst in lost luggage, worst in cabin comfort and next to worst in on-time service, according to Forbes, a publication aimed at business and industry, from which airlines glean their most valued customers. America West's overall score was 43.8, which means it scored less than 44 percent as well as the top airline in each category of service. The airline, founded in 1983 by a former executive of Continental Airlines, has only two daily arrivals and departures at Tampa International Airport, serving Las Vegas and Phoenix. Two of Tampa's largest tenants camped out at the top of the Forbes list. Delta Air Lines, which flies more passengers to and from Tampa than any other at the airport, led all airlines on the Forbes list with a score of 76.3. Forbes said Delta did the best job of honoring seat reservations. Southwest Airlines, TIA's third-largest tenant, was a close second on the list at 72.6. Forbes said Southwest had fewer customer complaints than any other carrier. TIA's second-largest tenant, US Airways, ranked fourth, with a score of 72. It was downgraded for a large number of flight delays. Best to worst, Forbes ranked the airlines in this order: Delta, Southwest, Alaska, US Airways, American, Continental, Northwest, United, TWA and America West. The magazine had little good to say about the flying experience today. "America West is only the worst in a field crowded with incompetence," the magazine concluded. "The major carriers have turned business travel into an inescapable evil -- a hair shirt with wings. "You call an airline and are told your flight will take off on time, only to arrive at the airport and be kept waiting for hours. The food is awful, when you can get any, and thousands upon thousands of bags are misplaced or lost. Airline seats seem designed for stick figures. Complain about any of this and you risk arrest."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times Business report
From the AP
|
