Airlines’ performance better, data say
WASHINGTON » Air travelers who endured lost bags, delayed flights, lousy service and getting bumped from full planes might want to scream at the airline industry. But flying actually is getting better when measured by these benchmarks, say researchers who studied federal data on airline performance.
Airlines are slowly, steadily recovering from their meltdown five years ago, when, under the strain of near-record consumer travel demand, their performance tanked. Industry performance for all four measurements was slightly better in 2011 compared with 2010, according to the report being released today.
"Airlines are finally catching up with what their promise is, which is getting you there on time 80 percent of the time with your bags," said Dean Headley, a business professor at Wichita State University in Kansas who has co-written the annual report for 22 years. "They realize that people are paying a lot more money, and the system is more complex than it was, and they have to do a better job. To their credit, I think they are doing a better job."
Hawaiian Airlines fared well in the report, ranking first among the 15 airlines studied in on-time performance, second best in passengers bumped from flights and fourth best in lost/mishandled luggage and consumer complaints.
Actors unions finally agree to merge
LOS ANGELES >> The nation’s two actors unions have merged, nearly a decade after last trying to do so.
That signals an end to years of conflict and division that had long given Hollywood studios the advantage in negotiations.
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the smaller of the two unions, had tried to merge with the Screen Actors Guild in 1998 and 2003, but those efforts failed.
AFTRA members approved the merger, effective last Friday, with 86 percent supporting. SAG members also voted in favor, with 82 percent in support.
Total recall
About 9,700 GORE Ride On Low Friction System brake cables and GORE Ride On Professional System brake cables for road bikes manufactured by W.L. Gore & Associates Inc., of Elkton, Md., were recalled. They were sold nationwide from January 2008 through January 2012. The brake cables are silver and available with housings in black, white, blue or red. “GORE Ride-On” is printed on the housing for the low-friction cables. “GORE Ride-On Professional” is printed on the housing for the professional-system cables. The bicycle brake cables were manufactured in Taiwan. When the cables are installed on Campagnolo-style brake levers, they can detach and cause the brakes to fail, posing a fall hazard. Contact Gore at 888-914-4673 weekdays between 3 and 11 a.m. Hawaii time or visit the firm’s website at www.rideoncables.com.
