"Airlines breaking passenger records"

Sunday, September 14, 2003

Airlines breaking passenger records 
BY TREBOR BANSTETTER
Knight Ridder News


Patrick Wascovich recently learned a hard lesson about the record-breaking
passenger loads that have packed the nation's airplanes this summer. 

After deciding to return home to the Fort Worth, Texas, area from Denver a
few days earlier than planned, Wascovich arrived at the airport at dawn,
hoping to fly ``standby'' and nab an empty seat. 

He waited at the airport for more than 24 hours, as flight after flight took
off packed to the maximum. Many flights had more scheduled passengers than
seats, forcing some travelers to be ``bumped'' to the next departure time --
making it even less likely that a seat would be available for him. A
traveling companion was so frustrated that she broke down and wept several
times while they waited, he said. 

``It was the trip from hell,'' said Wascovich, a Cedar Hill, Texas, resident
who works in the communications department of University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. ``It would have been faster and much
less of a hassle to rent a car and drive.'' 

Wascovich isn't alone. While the major airlines have crowed about their
heavy passenger loads during the past few months, the crowded cabins have
left some passengers nostalgic for the near-empty airplanes that flew in the
months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

Boarding times were faster and easier, and consumers who prefer aisle or
window seats rarely had a problem obtaining their favorite spot. 

With a multitude of empty seats, it was easy for passengers like Wascovich
to change their travel plans and fly on different flights as ``standby''
passengers, a longstanding industry practice that allows fliers to board
earlier flights as long as seats are available. 

And the number of passengers who were denied boarding because of oversold
flights dropped dramatically. 

``That was the upside, for the traveler -- there was plenty of room, extra
seats, you could stretch out,'' said David Stempler, president of the Air
Travelers Association. ``But clearly that hasn't been the case this
summer.'' 

The packed airplanes are largely due to the large airlines cutting back on
flights as they work to reduce their losses. 

At American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, available flights were
down 7 percent this summer compared to last year, and its fleet has 57 fewer
airplanes than it did a year ago. 

The industry as a whole has parked more than 600 aircraft since 9/11. 

The cutbacks, combined with heavier-than-expected summer travel demand,
meant airlines have packed passengers onto fewer planes. In July, flights
averaged 82 percent full across the industry, according to the Air Transport
Association -- the most crowded airliners have been since the industry group
began recording passenger loads in 1970. 

In June, planes were 80 percent full on average, according to the
association. 

The trimmed flight schedules and full airplanes have been great news for
airlines -- they push down costs and make it more likely a flight will be
profitable. 

But for passengers, the packed airplanes haven't been as positive. In
addition to less elbowroom in coach and a harder time catching standby
seats, the bigger crowds have also made it more likely some passengers have
to be forced off of flights even when they have a valid reservation. 

That's because of a longstanding airline industry policy of selling more
tickets on some flights than the number of seats available. 

>From April to June, the rate at which passengers were bumped involuntarily
from flights because of overselling jumped 66 percent, compared to that
period last year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Airline executives point out that the chances of being forced from a flight
are still small overall -- roughly one passenger was bumped for every 10,000
fliers during the three-month period. It totaled about 13,000 passengers. 

American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner that the carrier uses a
``sophisticated inventory management system'' to help it manage over-sales
and keep problems to a minimum. 

But travel experts said that passengers are quick to notice issues related
to overcrowded flights. 

For North Texas traveler Wascovich, the lack of standby seats on crowded
America West flights eventually spurred him to desperate measures. 

After waiting for more than 24 hours in Denver, he finally got a seat on a
plane to Las Vegas. Ticketing agents had assured that from there, he would
be able to get a spot on an early-morning flight to Dallas/Fort Worth. 

``They told me they had 40 empty seats on the plane,'' he said. 

Unfortunately, that airplane never arrived -- it was diverted because of
mechanical problems and replaced by a smaller aircraft. ``There went all the
empty seats,'' Wascovich said. 

He eventually spent $350 for a new ticket to Dallas/Fort Worth from Las
Vegas. He said his airline gave him a $50 refund for the unused portion of
his original ticket, but also charged him a $30 cancellation fee. 

``All I got out of the airline was twenty bucks,'' he said. ``I realize that
when you're flying standby there are no guarantees, but this was just
crazy.''


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