Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 26, 1990 TAG: 9003262254
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
More than two years after a law required airlines to report the on-time performance of each flight, few passengers seem to be taking advantage of a simple clue to flight tardiness.
The clue is a single digit in the code every flight is assigned in travel agent and airliner computers. On a scale of 9 to 0, each flight is rated for punctuality.
An example: If you were thinking of taking USAir Flight 896 from Philadelphia to Boston at 5:55 p.m., you could know that your chances of arriving late are excellent. "Late" is defined as more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
In the latest monthly report, covering January, that flight was rated "0" and was the tardiest in the country, arriving an average of 44 minutes late 96.4 percent of the time.
The rating for that USAir flight has improved to a "1." That means that lately it has been arriving on time between 10 and 20 percent of the time.
A "2" at the end of a flight's computer code would mean the flight lands on time between 20 and 30 percent of the time, and so on up to the 90 to 100 percent range.
A rating of less than 30 percent gets "chronically late" honors in the Transportation Department's monthly Air Travel Consumer Report.
So what does a traveler do if the flight has a low score?
A Philadelphia passenger who wants to improve the odds of arriving on time in Boston could take Delta Flight 648 at 4:50 p.m., which has a 60 to 70 percent on-time record, or USAir Flight 424 at 5 p.m., which has a 40 to 50 percent record.
But how often do customers ask for this information?
"No one ever has," said Yolande Frommer, referring to customers at her Washington, D.C. travel agency.
They'll ask the type of aircraft, how many seats are in a row, where the exits are and what movie is playing, she said, but they don't think to ask the chances of the plane's arriving on time, even though it often is a major concern.
Many people simply aren't aware that the information is available.
Phil Davidoff, president-elect of the American Society of Travel Agents, said that although few travelers ask for the data, some agents notify customers when the on-time rating is below 50 percent.
"It's clearly down the line in factors that will affect a decision" about which flight to take, Davidoff said.
The data come from the airlines, which are required by law to report to the government each month. Delays due to mechanical problems are not counted in the ratings because the government thinks that including them might encourage airlines to rush repairs to keep up their on-time rating.
by CNB