Mergers don't always go smoothly.
After US Airways and America West merged in 2005, the new carrier was losing bags at its Philadelphia hub and just a little more than two-thirds of its flights were arriving on time."Things weren't going so hot operationally," said Robert Isom, US Airways chief operating officer, who joined the carrier in 2007. "The airline wasn't running on time, and when an airline doesn't run on time, passengers really suffer. It's the most inefficient way to run an airline."Isom, who could become a point man for operations if American Airlines merges with US Airways, takes pride in how he integrated the operations of US Airways and America West, improving the airline's on-time record and baggage-handling statistics from worst to first among the legacy carriers.Faced with dissatisfied customers and unhappy employees, Isom focused on one thing: "on time, every time."If the airline could get its planes to depart and arrive on time, Isom said, problems such as missed connections and lost bags would be reduced.The carrier launched an incentive program called Triple Play that gave workers $50 to $100 a month if the airline met certain targets for on-time arrivals, mishandled baggage and customer complaints. US Airways also spent millions on baggage-scanning systems and electronic boarding pass equipment for its gates."At the time, we knew we didn't have all the systems that would really help our folks accomplish our goals," Isom said. "We had to invest and make sure our employees had the tools that they needed."On-time rates improved from 68.2 percent in November 2007 to 86.1 percent in November 2012, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The carrier has also lost fewer bags, about 2 in 1,000, compared with 9 in 1,000 in 2007.As part of Triple Play, employees received $500 apiece in 2012, costing the airline about $19 million."Over the last five years, there has been no better airline among the majors about departing on time, arriving on time and handling bags," Isom said, although he acknowledged that Delta Air Lines sometimes tops US Airways. "That, I think, is the ultimate product that we're producing for our customers."He declined to comment on what issues he might face in a merger with American. A nondisclosure agreement prohibits either carrier from discussing the situation.Andrea Ahles, 817-390-7631Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
