"Regional Airlines Had More Departure Delays at Indianapolis Airport"

Sunday, June 20, 2004

Regional Airlines Had More Departure Delays at Indianapolis Airport
The Indianapolis (IN) Star


Passengers of regional airlines were more likely to face departure
delays at Indianapolis International Airport than major carriers during
the first four months of 2004, according to data compiled by the U.S.
Department of Transportation. 

Among 15 carriers, American Airlines' regional service American Eagle
had the highest percentage of delays. More than 40 percent of its
nonstop flights from Indianapolis were delayed 15 minutes or more,
according to the DOT records. 

Rounding out the top four airlines with the highest percentage of delays
were regional carriers Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Skywest and Atlantic
Coast Airlines. Each reported more than 20 percent of its flights were
delayed. 

Among major carriers, only United Airlines came close to those regional
services, with an even 20 percent of its flights delayed. America West
passengers, often traveling to Phoenix or Seattle, were the least likely
to face delays. Only 4.1 percent of its flights were late. 

Regional carriers often suffer delays because they typically fly to and
from Indianapolis through congested hub airports such as Chicago's
O'Hare or Atlanta's Hartsfield, travel experts said. 

American Eagle, for example, has two daily flights to Chicago O'Hare.
Its late flights left the ground an average of 77 minutes after the
scheduled departure.

American Airlines didn't return phone calls to discuss its regional
carrier's tardiness. 

But Mary Caldwell, president of Caldwell Travel in Indianapolis, noted
that regional carriers tend to fly their small jets on several short
trips each day compared with larger airliners that have less-compressed
schedules in which to make up lost time. 

Caldwell said regional jets are almost like buses. "They're going so
many different places that if there's bad weather in one place it
compounds" their tardiness at every other stop along the way. 

Delays are frustrating for passengers no matter which airline they
choose. And at Indianapolis International, passengers can expect up to
13.7 percent of all departures to be late, according to the Department
of Transportation survey. Delayed flights are an average of 73 minutes
late. 

David Bain of Carmel once became so fed up with frequent delays in
getting to Lancaster, Pa., he decided to drive his Buick there. 

These days, he's resigned to facing delays -- no matter what airline
he's traveling on. 

The reasons for delays are many, and some might surprise passengers. 

Although thunderstorms might not pose problems for aircraft, airlines
will sometimes pull their ground crews from the tarmac out of concern
that they might be endangered by lightning, said Steven Follis,
marketing director for airport management firm BAA Indianapolis. 

Airlines also can be victims of air traffic congestion. But many need to
make better scheduling decisions, critics say, noting that some cram in
too many flights during peak periods. 

Consumer travel expert Tom Parson, president of BestFares.com, said
airline schedules also are built around "perfect-day" expectations and
fail to take into account weather delays and mechanical problems. 

Atlantic Southeast Airlines was the first regional carrier to set up an
"ATC desk," referring to flight scheduling based on better coordination
with air traffic control, said spokesman Kent Landers. 

The nation's air traffic control system was reaching an overload just
prior to the 2001 terrorist attacks -- a problem that was went away
temporarily as passenger traffic plummeted. But with airlines and
traffic now recovering, "They're creating that crazy bottleneck again,"
Parsons said. 

ATA Airlines, the busiest carrier at Indianapolis International, said 16
percent of its flights were late. It bested low-cost rival Southwest
Airlines, at 16.67 percent of flights delayed 15 minutes or more. 

While there's no precise way to determine how much delays impact ticket
sales, airlines are growing sensitive to the ramifications. 

"The single most important thing to them isn't (onboard) food. The
single most important thing to them is getting there on time," said Bill
Beal, senior vice president of operations at ATA Airlines, which in
April had second-best on-time performance in the nation. 

ATA has among the newest fleet of aircraft of all major carriers,
reducing the chances of mechanical breakdowns. It also is trying to
improve the performance and communication of ground employees. 

But it's not quite there yet, said Patricia McFarland. 

She and her husband this month headed to the airport to grab a 9:15 a.m
ATA turboprop to Chicago, then a connecting flight to Dallas. 

Bad weather delayed the flight. Then mechanical problems. 

"The worst part of all was the indifference, the total and complete
indifference of the (counter employees) in trying to get all of us to
Chicago," said McFarland. "The people who worked there were leaving the
counter, wandering off . . . No one could make a decision." 

The McFarlands gave up at around 1 p.m. and went back home, with the
offer of a ticket refund. 

Passengers and airlines can relieve delay hassles in a number of ways. 

Sabrena Suite, spokeswoman for SkyWest, suggests that passengers leave a
contact phone number with the airline so it can provide a heads-up about
delays.

Parsons, the travel-expert president of BestFares.com, suggests being
wary of flights in the evening, when delays may have compounded and
turned into cancellations. Morning flights tend to have a higher on-time
performance record, he said. 

When delays are unavoidable, ask the airline for help. ATA and several
other airlines offer phone cards, coupons for food or toiletries and, in
extreme situations, hotel and meal accommodations and even free travel
vouchers. 

Such measures could go a long way in keeping customers loyal. 

But McFarland is toying with the idea of avoiding airports. "We're going
to drive to Dallas, I think. I would hitchhike before I would get on a
plane again."


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