Air Travel: Downside To the Holidays

Various press reports and passenger accounts indicate the early, pre-Halloween snowstorm that socked the East Coast over the weekend took its toll on air travelers. Some New York area-bound flights were diverted to Hartford Conn., where jets from at least two airlines – JetBlue and American -- spent several hours on the tarmac.

ABC News reports the pilot of JetBlue Flight 504 asked local authorities for help as his plane and passengers were stranded for seven hours.

The strandings are almost certain to come under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, since new rules call for fines of $27,500 per passenger when planes are stranded on a tarmac for longer than three hours.

Harsh reminder

This past weekend's incident comes as a harsh reminder of the variables of air travel as the holiday travel period gets underway. And it's not just the increased chance that winter weather will play havoc with your travel plans. Experts say travelers have reason for concern because of fewer seats and traditionally higher volumes during the period between now and the end of the year.

"During the past several years, the holiday travel period has been a struggle for airline passengers,” said Dean Headley, Airline Quality Rating co-author and marketing professor at Wichita State University. “December has the lowest overall quality score of any month. The best bet for the consumer is to travel as early before the actual holiday or as late as possible afterward, and always leave room for schedule changes."

To give credit where credit is due, Headley said 2010 was a good year for airline performance. Data for the first six months of 2011 indicate that improvement trends continued for the first quarter, but are mixed for the second quarter.

Mixed bag

"We have a mixed bag of data that show performance scores are getting better,” said Headley. “We are settling in to a new reduced capacity system that challenges travelers to be more savvy. With strong demand for fewer seats, it also presents an opportunity for the airlines to charge more for a ticket."

Travelers also have to be able to decipher an airline's rate and fee structure. These days, the published airfare is only part of the cost of getting to your destination. Checking a couple of bags will cost you, coming and going, on most airlines.

In 2010, best-performing airlines in each of the AQR categories were Hawaiian, Jet Blue, Air Tran and Southwest. Hawaiian was best in on-time performance. Jet Blue was best in avoiding denied boardings. Air Tran was best in baggage handling. Southwest had the lowest rate of customer complaints.

Worst performers

The worst performing airlines in each of the AQR categories were Comair, American Eagle and United. Comair had the worst on-time performance. American Eagle had the worst rate of denied boardings. American Eagle also had the highest rate of mishandled baggage. Delta had the highest rate of customer complaints.

Darrin, of Riverton, Utah, said he is not an experienced traveler so he called a Delta representative to inquire about changing a flight and the costs involved.

“She explained to me that I could either pay for the changes or I could buy or have some miles transferred to my account and use those,” Darrin told ConsumerAffairs.com. “I had a good friend and co-worker transfer miles to my account. I then went online and made the change to find that they not only took my miles but charged me $450. I called and spoke to two people and emailed with another and they won't even budge. One lady even basically said she'd sue me if I stopped payment on my card as I consider it unauthorized. They wouldn't even meet in the middle. So they just earned $620 for a 500 mile diversion.”

Still, Headly says the data he has seen suggests consumers are encountering fewer air travel headaches than in past years.

"If you look at this improvement trend with month-over-month performance scores getting better, even the more difficult winter months hold hope for a better travel experience,” said Headley. “Air travel will cost more, but if you can find a seat, it may be operating better."