6 responses to “Cranky on the Web (December 6-10)”

1. 

   Frank

   Dec 12, 2010 at 9:15 am

   Southwest says:

   Record load factors during the month contributed to our decisions to delay aircraft and hold for Customers who we wouldn’t have been able to accommodate if we had cancelled flights.

   That’s not exactly satisfying. It makes it sound like Southwest is just going to have a worse operation because it has more people on its flights. But that’s not acceptable, so I asked for a follow-up.
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   I’d be interested to know the load factors for all these carriers for the month of OCTOBER and then compare it to this statement of Record Load Factors caused them to be at the BOTTOM of the ON TIME stats.

   Reply
   1. 

      CF

      Dec 12, 2010 at 10:25 am

      Doesn’t matter what load factors were for other carriers but rather how different it was for Southwest. Each airline is built to operate differently so it’s only the change in the mix for that airline that matters. Southwest has tended to lag other airlines for years and is only now closing the gap, so it is a change for the airline.

      Reply
      1. 

         Frank

         Dec 12, 2010 at 7:01 pm

         They blamed the delays on…..LOAD FACTORS. Also, over the years, Southwest has consistently had “lower” load factors then the legacies. Yet, the Legacies out perform them in on-time statistics even when these major airlines have hubs in the MOST CONGESTED airports in the country.
         Everyone’s load factors have increased, yet WN sinks to the bottom of the on-time list in front of Jetblue who’s major (congested) hub is JFK.

         Reply
         1. 

            Frank

            Dec 13, 2010 at 6:41 pm

            Southwest’s on-time performance since then has been challenged by record load factors, or the average number of seats filled on its planes, Mainz said. That figure hovered in a range of 65 percent to 70 percent from 2000 through 2005, and expanded to 79.1 percent through October of this year.

            Jets that once sat idle at airport gates for only 20 minutes between flights helped Southwest make efficiency gains on competitors in years past. That turn time has swelled to 30 minutes, Mainz said.

            Reply
2. 

   Ron

   Dec 12, 2010 at 9:41 pm

   Travel policies: Maybe it’s just the few places I’ve worked in, but I find that giving employees maximum freedom works great. For example, I know that spending more on travel means fewer (desirable) travel opportunities for me and my colleagues, and thus I have a positive incentive to economize and be happy about it. Letting the traveler do what they want may just be the best option, as long as the travel assignments are structured in a way to make employees want what’s best for the business.

   Reply
   1. 

      CF

      Dec 13, 2010 at 12:15 pm

      It is pretty remarkable how many strict travel policies end up costing the company more. But there needs to be something there to keep those people in who will take advantage otherwise. It shouldn’t be strict but there should be guidelines.

      Reply

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