The Hawks are Circling...

[T45Flyer]

AirTran Reportedly Coming to Charlotte
Wednesday February 16, 3:36 pm ET
By Tim Whitmire, Associated Press Writer Discount Carrier AirTran Reportedly Coming to Charlotte, Sources Say



CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Discount carrier AirTran will begin flying from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Atlanta and Baltimore later this year, sources said Wednesday.

The move would bring a second discount carrier to an airport long dominated by US Airways Group, which is currently in bankruptcy for the second time in recent years.

Officials at Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran Holdings Inc. could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. The airline has hubs in Atlanta and Orlando and offers service to 46 airports.

Airport officials scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon at which they said they would make a "major announcement" about service. Officials declined to speak publicly about the scheduled announcement.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said AirTran is to fly to both Baltimore and Atlanta, where the carrier has its primary hub. One of the sources said the carrier would fly three or four times per day to each city.

Service could begin within two to three months, assuming a normal schedule for starting operations.

Mike Boyd, a Colorado-based aviation analyst, said he believes AirTran's move into Charlotte is aimed at outflanking competitor Southwest Airlines Co., which recently announced service to Pittsburgh, a former US Airways hub.

He said Southwest is believed to be eyeing a move into Charlotte.

AirTran's entrance into the Charlotte market would give the city two discount carriers. Flyi Inc.'s Independence Air began flights from Charlotte to Washington D.C.'s Dulles International Airport in October. In trading Wednesday afternoon, AirTran Holdings' shares fell 8 cents to $8.28 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $7.40 to $15.56

 

[VaB]

I guess when the vultures start circling, then they'll really be in trouble.

 

[LearLove]

New Sales Record

History was made on Monday, when usairways.com had its best revenue day on record. Thanks to the “Sweetheart Sale” launched on Valentine’s Day, usairways.com broke all previous sales records with total revenue of $5.1 million, up 65 percent over Feb. 14, 2004. The Web site hosted over 300,000 visitors, and customers booked over 20,000 tickets, up 103 percent year over year.

Another revenue record was set yesterday. Reservations brought in $3.3 million in sales, the highest since Sep. 9, 2004, which incidentally marked the first day that US Airways implemented service fees for certain tickets purchased through its reservations center. The overwhelming response generated by the “sweetheart deals” signifies the popularity of US Airways’ low fares, as thousands of customers clamored to secure steeply discounted tickets through traditional booking venues, despite distribution fees.

In other e-commerce news, Dow Jones reviewed airline Web sites. Appraisers performed such online functions as buying refundable tickets, adding frequent flier accounts, changing itineraries, and requesting refunds. The findings, reported in The Wall Street Journal, said that usairways.com’s best feature was its calendar function, which allows customers to see how changes to travel dates may alter the fare. The Web site’s right-side navigation bar also was touted as “unusual, but efficient.” During the evaluation process, Dow Jones said, “With this site, unlike the others, we never had to call the airline for help.”

Separately, The Customer Respect Group, a global research and consulting firm that studies how companies treat their customers online, also analyzed airline Web sites and selected US Airways as the airline that creates the best overall online experience for its customers.

The Customer Respect Group uses what it has termed and trademarked its “Customer Respect Index” (CRI) to rank businesses’ Web sites and online performance. Attributes evaluated and measured include the following customer-focused principles: Simplicity, which rates ease of navigation; Responsiveness, or the speed and helpfulness of responses to inquiries; Privacy, or the manner with which the company handles personal data; Attitude, which accounts for the general feel and perception of how the customer is treated online; Transparency, involving open and honest policies; and Principles, which show how the customer is intrinsically valued.

US Airways was followed by British Airways, Air Canada, Independence Air, and Northwest Airlines in the CRI ratings. The bottom five ranking airlines, worst to best, were Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines and American Airlines. A total of 18 airline Web sites were rated.

Other online sectors evaluated included Hotels and Resorts, for which Marriott International came in first place, and Online Travel Companies, in which Orbitz won over Travelocity and Expedia.


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Last updated: February 16, 2005
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Copyright © 2002, US Airways, Inc.

 

[ivauir]

I've never heard of the "customer Respect Group". But I know who the WSJ is ...

"We spent time poking around the Web sites of (several airlines). On each site, we bought a refundable ticket, tried to link the purchase to our frequent-flier accounts, changed our itineraries, and even tried to cancel our reservations and get our cash credited back. The only site that worked without any significant hiccups for all of our tasks was Southwest’s. ... It got the job done efficiently and quickly. It was the only airline to display all available fares on every flight. Most importantly, when we filed our request for a refund, we had our money back in two minutes flat."
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[/font]The Wall Street Journal’s [font=Helvetica,Helvetica]"Cranky Traveler" column
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