Kate Hanni’s FlyersRights.com issued their 2009 Real Air Travel consumer Report Card yesterday at the Press Club in Washington DC. If I came home with a report card like this when I was a kid, I’d get a spanking.
The 2009 report card for tarmac delays of more than three hours gave all of the major airlines a “F” for their performance. The major legacy airlines themselves — America, Continental, Delta, United and USAirways — were graded as failing; their grades were lower when they were combined with their code-share regional airline partners.
The report card focused on more than only tarmac delays. Dr. Frederick Foreman, the research director, noted that their organization had also looked at food availability and airline water quality. The food availability according to Dr. Foreman is important because in the event of a tarmac delay, many shorter flights do not have food aboard for passengers; so, bring your own. Water quality report shows that many airlines have not tested the water on planes and when it is tested, a significant percentage of aircraft have reported coliform contamination.
Continental, Delta and United have all released water testing results. Continental reported 16 percent of the 883 aircraft tested found coliform contamination. Delta reported 12 percent of their 323 tested aircraft were contaminated with coliform. United’s testing resulted in a aircraft contamination level of 5.6 percent. Atlantic Southeast, a regional airline that served millions of passengers, reported that 49 percent of the 84 aircraft tested reported coliform.
The report notes that 29 airlines have not completed water testing or released the results.
Amid the sea of failing grades, Southwest Airlines stood out as being passenger-centric. They received As for their long-tarmac-delay record and for taking care of their passengers.
The other standout airlines were Hawaiian, that did not experience even one extended tarmac delay in 2009, and Alaska Airlines. Of the regionals, SkyWest and Atlantic Southeast led the pack when it came to long tarmac delays.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
