Archives - Business: Page 14
Author: Thrty2Mars (Mon Apr 02, 2007 4:23 pm)
Title: Airline Troubles
A recent study found that there were more delays, bumped passengers, and lost luggage in 2006 compared to 2005. Some airline officials have blamed increased delays on bad weather, but that is not a valid excuse. David Castelveter, an industry spokesman, said that Congress needs to provide additional funding to help update the air traffic control systems used today. In the coming years air traffic will increase even more, and without newer systems, the delays will only grow.
The most disappointing statistics came from lost luggage, where for every 1000 passengers, 6.5 bags were lost. This information is worsened by the news that at least one domestic airline, Spirit Airlines, is planning to implement a new fee for checked baggage. The fee would be $5 for tickets booked online, and $10 for any tickets booked offline. Dean Headley, associate professor at Wichita State University and co-author of the study, believes this new type of fee will no last long in the airline industry. He says consumers won't stand for it when they have come to expect it free. This is especially true considering the statistics regarding lost luggage.
Jet Blue was among the best in rankings covering all aspects of the study, while Atlantic Southeast was consistently at the bottom of the list.