Where is PSA When We Need Them?
adn.com | front : Alaska Airlines slips to last in on-time ranking — This used to be a great airline. Now Alaska Airlines is ranked as the worst airline in the nation for on-time arrivals and departures during May, according to a new federal report.
The airline said its June on-time performance was also horrible but that July’s numbers have improved.
This caused me to write a remembrance of the great little airlines of the West Coast (PSA, Western Airlines, AirCAL) that were ruined by merger fever leaving us with nothing. It starts with a tale of Alaska Airlines.
So whatever happened to Alaska Airlines? It went from first to worst. Alaskan used to serve the best food too. It was actually edible. On the West Coast they used to run lots of TV commercials ridiculing the other airlines and the crap they served . Then one day a bean-counter didn’t like what he saw and that was the end of the food.
Read the entire essay by clicking here.
I have to question J Callahan’s asessment.
The Jack Screw on an MD-80 does NOT drive the rudder, rather it is a trim mechanism for the elevator. It is used to adjust for the large changes in CG and center of lift that a typical commerical aircraft goes through during the flight envelope. Think of it as a coarse elevator control, with the pilots flight wheel being the fine control.
The NTSB found that the threads on the assembly had ultimately stripped, which essentially removed all elevator control from the pilots. It was a non-recoverable failure. Improper maintenance and interpretation of tolerances was the NTSB’s ruling.
The Rudder Power Pack problem that JC refers to has been a big — and ongoing — issue with 737s but I have never heard of it afflicting the MD-80. Boeing has redesigned the 737 Power Pack a number of times over the years but no one is yet certain that the reversal problem has been exorcised.
Tom (a pilot)
I am proud to bring a youthful and spirited energy BACK to Alaska Airlines as a Flight Attendant this coming Spring.
Being that my mother has been a UAL Flight Attendant for the past 20 years and having to deal with 9/11; I think the majority of you are living in the past and do not realize that we are only human.
By the way I really enjoyed Devorak’s article as it was insightful for me to learn from past experiences. Most importantly I will do my personal best to change his opinion of Alaska Airlines and bring back that down-to-earth flying experience. Thank You!
Time to move forward and to forgive others!
Cheers,
Alli
Ali,
Try and not use phrases like “down to earth” when speaking about airlines. It scares the passengers.
Nice rant John. If I close my eyes I can almost see the hairs on the back of your neck standing as you type. And I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m in the consulting field so I travel all the time and I’ve noticed that airline service has just plummeted in the past few years.
Where do I begin….after a series of big-fish-eats-little-fish mergers in the airline industry we’re left with an oligopoly where all the major markets are conveniently sliced up. Denver = United, Atlanta = Delta, Dallas = American, and so on. The consumer was left with very little choice. In comes Southwest and prices of airline tickets drop like a stone across the board. The big legacy airlines figure the only way they can compete is to drop their prices too. But their inefficient business models don’t work and they all begin to lose money hand over fist. So they cut services in an attempt to stem the flow of losses. Then the cycle repeats – more cost cuts, lower customer satisfaction and eventual layoffs.
In my view, all of the domestic airlines suck but at least on Southwest they seem to be having some fun and that helps take your mind off your crummy “meal” and too-small seat. I love it when I’m sitting beside someone that hasn’t flown is, say, 5 or 10 years. Those are the people that are most astonished at how bad things have gotten. No movie, no meal, no bin space….welcome aboard!
If you ever want to see how real air travel ought to be then save up your points and fly business class in Singapore Airlines, or British Airways, or Virgin. Man, that’s service! On Singapore Airlines, not only were the flight attendants pleasant and attentive but every single one of them was drop dead gorgeous. Every single one without exception. If they ever manage to get the SFO to NYC route I’m there in a heartbeat!
Steve
You said as a long live PAS and Air Cal…
You said it long live PSA and Air Cal…
If anyone is still reading this I can tell you exactly why Alaska Airlines went from first to worst. I was an employee of Alaska Airlines when we were first. It was about 4 years ago i beleive when then CEO John Kelley retired. When he retired Alaska was one of the most profitable airlines in the U.S.A. also they were ranked #1 in customer service, #1 in on time flights and departures, and #1 in the fewest mishandled bags.
You may think the least important part of an airline is those scraggly guys on the tarmac throwing bags around. You may think they are all idiots and lazy and rough with your bags. But they have a lot to do with customer service, on-time departures, and mishandled bags. New CEO of Alaska airlines Bill Ayer seemed to forget that, because he decided that it would be a great plan if in 2005 (only two months before this article noticed the decline of this once great airline) they would lay off hte more than 400+ baggage handlers at their hub in Seattle, and contract out the jobs to the lowest bidder. They saved quite a bit in wagers and benefits i’m told…. but what was the real cost?
How is their mishandled bag ratio? How is their on-time departure percentage? how is their customer satisfaction?
I am not bitter, (though I may seem it) i am just one who beleives that you can’t cut corners and come out on top, Alaska was built on treating employees and customers right, not on the biggest profit margin, you can’t remove a foundation without ruining the entire thing. Thank Bill Ayer and now Alaska is just another airline competing for the cheapest flight you have to endure, not a travel option you might enjoy
There are several points in this article and the subsequent chain of comments that are inaccurate or misleading but I will focus on the last two raised by Billy.
No one remembers that Alaska Airlines was in negotiations with the ramp agent workers for 2 years prior to the decision to replace them with contract workers. There were ramp agents making close to 6-figure salaries for loading bags. While I don’t begrudge anyone’s right to earn a living, to pay someone that much to do that job is out of the realm of reality.
Secondly, the airline has posted a profit for two quarters now, and appears to be on track to add another to that list in the 3rd quarter. As someone who has been with this company for 9+ years, I have seen a lot of ups and downs, and management certainly owns the responsibility for most of this, but to say that management owns it all is very short sighted and inaccurate.
Oh, and don’t forget to look past the Pacific Northwest to see how other carriers are handling these same issues. While Alaska employees, including management staff, have made sacrifices in pay and work scope, I am damned happy to be here than NW, Delta, United, etc, etc.
That’s all I have to say about that.
If you flew with the company I keep, you would know the MD80’s engines are anything but quiet and yes they are still in the fleet. However I do agree with the 1st to worst. Relax a little more, I think you don’t spend enough time at your summer home (PA),Come on get some r&r… C-Ya!
I have preferred flying the MD80 because it is very comfortable. Now that I have read about its poor design it gives me pause.
On another point, I have always thought that it was deregulation that led to all of this deterioration in service.
It is obvious that the frantic mergers of the mid-1980’s did not deliver anticipated synergies and coincided with great decline in customer service and quality of employment at the majors. It should be also noted that PSA was loosing money at the time it was acquired by USAir, specificaly it lost $3,000,000 in 1986.
Great service, fun or food were the points on which airlines competed (inter-state) prior to the 1978 deregulation. After the deregulation, market was dictated by price. Companies that were shackled by the old structures, union contracts equipment or misguided expansion efforts are either gone or strugle. After 1978 Pan Am, as great as they were, did not make money until their demise in 1991. United union mx worker who lost his job in 2001, put it to me this way. “It was great job, but to be fair, we had people who were paid over $30 an hour and they could and did read entire newspaper while on clock day after day.”
I am not sure if foreign companies would fair better in the North American market. Singapore Airlines is an exception in customer service, but they serve one exceptionaly succesfull and well positioned city and are owned by that city. The brand has been carefully reared since its inception with focus on consistency, brand and business model loyality, long term focus and financial security of both the city and airline. This approach works weather you are state owned high-cost international or low-cost privately owned domestic carrier as both SIA and SWA showed us.
Alaska is a great airline. Sure its not what it was in the 70s or even the 80s, but none of them are. Given the choice of all the airlines to work for, I studied carefully and chose Alaska. And Im very happy I did.
I’ve always been an Alaska fan, since the days of the late lamented Oakland-Long Beach run where they actually gave you food. I’ve been in their mileage program for quite a while. Over Christmas I had the most appalling travel experience in my life with them, a veritable cornucopia of ineptitude, bad faith and beyond, and I’m still reeling, as much from my sense of betrayal that Alaska would pull this stuff as from sheer outrage at the bad treatment.
John — Saw this old posting and thought you would be interested to learn that after buying Western Airlines and spending the next decade unravelling one of the best set of city pairs in the west, they screwed up and didn’t renew the trademark on the name.
A new company has formed to fly under the Western Airline banner. No word yet to determine whatever happened to those wonderful “champagne-sipping bird” commercials, but for those of you who remember the motto, “Western Airlines, the only way to fly”, you’ll be excited to learn the new company’s tagline is “Still the Only Way to Fly…”!
From the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB’s) Aircraft Accident Report: Loss of Control and Impact with Pacific Ocean, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N963AS, about 2.7 Miles North of Anacapa Island, California, January 31, 2000, page 180:
“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a loss of airplane pitch control resulting from the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly’s acme nut threads. The thread failure was caused by excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines’ insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly.
“Contributing to the accident were Alaska Airlines’ extended lubrication interval and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval of that extension, which increased the likelihood that a missed or inadequate lubrication would result in excessive wear of the acme nut threads, and Alaska Airlines’ extended end play check interval and the FAA’s approval of that extension, which allowed the excessive wear of the acme nut threads to progress to failure without the opportunity for detection. Also contributing to the accident was the absence on the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 of a fail-safe mechanism to prevent the catastrophic effects of total acme nut thread loss.”
Just flew on Western Airlines out of Bellingham WA to San Diego last Saturday. The service was fantastic. Flight even included champagne. I was a died-in-the-wool fan of Alaska Airlines until I found this little gem… No more Seattle traffic to get to the airport!!! Thanks Western!!!
I don’t fly a whole helluva lot. Maybe a few times a year. Last time I flew was down to Panama and back, and it was rough. Amerian Airlines sure stands up to their name — they exemplify the worst of our country, and treat their passengers like we treat the rest of the world. Wonderful. Then, the airline we flew in Panama actually did use flying school buses. That was a shock.
In comparison, when I fly from SFO to Portland, I fly Alaska, but generally try to get the Horizon-operated flights. They still have 6″ more legroom than Southwest, you can get assigned seating (for somebody who likes to show up on time, that is, at the last minute, but enjoys sitting by the window in a nice part of the plane away from the engines, this is a reason not to fly Southwest), and they serve free NW beer and wine, plus organic snacks such as chips and salsa. What more could you ask?
Though, honestly, if two or more people are going, it’s still cheaper to drive for the SFO-Portland run. Gasoline is about $105 roundtrip, diesel $130. Airfare is $145, which means $280 for two. If you’re got the time, and a mercedes, then it’s worth it to drive…
…I can’t wait until we get some high speed rail in this country, and become a proper civilized nation. I do believe that Mexico will have a national high speed rail system before we do, at this rate.
Yeah, Alaska Airlines has really gone to heck. Of the last six flights I have taken, only ONE has been on time. The others were late by up to 5 HOURS. One time they had to bus us from SFO to San Jose because an overhead panel was loose in the cabin. They didn’t tell us where to catch the bus or anything, just said ‘get off the plane and go up the concourse and there will be someone there to help you. Yeah, right. No one was there. I had to accost a poor baggage clerk to try to get any information. Anyway, I’m fed up. I just canceled my mileage plan membership (donated the miles to Fred Hutch first), and will no longer fly Alaska Airlines. I’ll drive, take a train, a boat, or just plain walk first!
I still feel the sting of loss of PSA…Poor Sailor’s Airline…..what a great adventure as a young “service” man…!!!!!
Boy this is one of the best articles I have ever read. Married to a retired pilot I have seen it all. I will take the good old days anytime and airlines of the past. They knew what the passenger needed and did it. Those airlines are greatly missed and thank gosh for at least Southwest Airlines as we need them. Management has gone down the drain hole in 90 per cent of the airlines today. They are to blame for sure. Food terrible and not healthy. If you would even call it food which i do not o r if you even get anything to eat. So very sad for us allt today.
This goes back a while but Alaska Airlines was originally called Alaska Star Airlines with a mini-fleet of WWII surplus Catalina flying boats as short haul commuters to areas with limited or no surface landing capability.
Later, with Charlie Willis as CEO, it was super and greatly expanded enroute service and fun with real pro guys up front at the controls. Ah for the Good Old Days!
Realy cool!
Who are the actors that play Louis (Lewis) and Clark on the Alaska, or Horizon, Air radio commercials? Thanks!
Bill
Patrick Warbuton plays Lewis and Richard Kind is Clark. It’s funny (to me) that Clark is portrayed as bumbling, while Lewis is the calm one. I think in real-life, Clark was the more mature and stable Captain of the Expedition, while Lewis was less so.
Wow….what a great recollection of what has transpired here on the West Coast since the late 1980’s. I am a former Western Airlines Employee, and it is unfortunate that after our merger with Delta, Ron Allen (then acting CEO) decided that the planes could make more money flying in/out of Atlanta and the East Coast. Gradually, over a period of time we stopped flying LA-YVR/SEA/PDX/SJC/RNO/LAS/GEG/YEG/YYC/ACA/ZIH/PVR/MZT/ABQ/OKC…not to mention SEA-ANC/JNU/FAI/SFO. Even a muddled attempt of flying hourly service between LA-SFO was eventually dropped….but then again, Ronny baby had his eyes on buying PA’s European network….
Jerry Grinstein, who was CEO of Western, and now CEO of Delta, after Mullen was replaced even stated, “Delta did not know how to market itself on the West Coast, as Western did”. Luckily, and I think thanks to Mr. Grinstein, Delta is re-building the former Western routes out of Los Angeles…new flights to SEA/PDX/SMF/OAK/SFO/LAS/DEN/PHX/ACA/ZIH/ZLO/GDL/PVR/MZT. When the merger with Delta was announced, Mr. Grinstein stated that “Western was too large to be small and too small to be large”. We use to laugh that United had more flight attendants than Western had employees…..the verdict is still out as to whether de-regulation was a good thing. The smaller companies didn’t have a chance with smaller fleets….along as you say, very poor management style.
I started my career as a “host’ with Braniff International. At Braniff we were never called flight attendants, but “hosts’ or “hostesses”, as the feeling was, our passengers were a guest in our home, and were to be treated that way. We were ONE CLASSY airline. Harding Lawrence was ahead of his time–he knew that for Braniff International to survive, it would have to be bigger, unfortunately, over expansion, 2.00 airfares, along with a PATCO strike, and rising fuel costs, were against him.
I liked your comments about American. They gobbled up TWA to kill of competition, and there are hardly any flights into/out of St. Louis. The way they treated former TWA employees, as second class citizens, and then laying them all off, was pretty nasty, and in my opinion, unethical. That is one airline I will not step foot on.
You forgot to mention that we (consumers) are our own worst enemies via vis service and food. We cannot decide what we want cheap airfare or great service. You cannot have a good hot meal at $199 to the east coast.
We got what we deserve.
Now Alaska is in the business of racial profiling and discrimination (or at least one of its flight attendants is!). I was kicked off one of their planes on Thursday for asking the girl in front of me to put her seat back up during take-off (she had reclined it AFTER the message to put them upright was made). I am a frequent flier with them, my great-grandmother would only travel to places they flew. But now…well, I thought they were the best of the worst (after hearing a United attendant tell a woman, “a cup of ice…you do realize you’re no longer in the golder era of air travel,” and getting bumped three times in three flights), but now I see they’ve sunk to the level of all the others.
Just because a federal report may say that it is the worst, does not mean that it necessarily is. The best way to tell the quality of an airline is to see what people are saying about it on an untainted site. (there is an airline here is Aus which was voted “best” by some report or another, and yet I have heard nothing but bad reviews and the time we flew them they re-scheduled our flights a day before on the way up and a day after on the way down, as if it did not matter that we needed to advise work four weeks in advance). Believe nothing.
Great story and nobody bitches better than you did here. Service has been dead in all sectors of the US economy for 30+ years, why do you think airlines would be any different?
What route would PSA be flying an L1011 btw? HI? The best airliner ever built imo. Those gorgeous Rolls Royce engines and you think a crappy MD-80 is quite?
We in the Midwest had our Ozark, Republic, Southern, Piedmont….All great…
United has always been a cattle car ops. Their 90’s Warsaw Pact livery and that of USAIR were horrible. United always a horrible airline and I’m from Chicago.
Fly First or Bus Class to Europe, Asia or South America and ALL airlines do well…not just Singapore.
You get what you pay for now. Surly fat Attendants in what your $39 bucks buys you today.
Alaska Airlines is a very dangerous air carrier…I have had terrible experiences with them and they’re just ANOTHER accident waiting to happen…Heck I was on a jet at LAX on the 27th AUG and watched their latest farce of running two 737-400’s into each other on the ramp right next to us…..after routing through another city on a different airlines just to avoid flying them…
There is always a choice of airlines flying in the US, and for people’s own safety ( nevermind scheduling with their ridiculous 3hr delays and ramp gangs in SEA) they should pick another carrier until either Alaska changes their management / discontinues Menzies in SEA or gets some PR going about improving their safety ( and actually doing something to prove it)
I am an aviation worker , who has interline rates with Alaska and yet still would never set foot in their planes…no matter how good the rates are. If an airline is subject to multiple CRIMINAL investigations, that’s got to be the biggest red flag around! What a shame…