I heard a rumor they ALWAYS run late....Would welcome any rants or raves about this airline!

Small_Town_Girl. We flew American West to San Diego (from Dallas with a change of planes in Phoenix) and all of our flights departed and arrived on time. However, this was about 2 1/2 years ago. I had the same worries that you did, but, at the time the price could not be beat and I was purchasing 4 tickets, so the "risk" was worth the "reward"..... Good Luck! Vacationmom

Up until about a year ago they were NEVER on time in my experience. I am dependant on them because of their nonstop flights out of Las Vegas to the places I travel. Every time I used to fly I'd say "this is the last time!". This year they seem to be much better. If the rates are good I'd go for it.

ALWAYS runs late?
That seems a little far-fetched.
You can check the data yourself.
All airlines' on time ratings are readily available.
For the record, AW has been the on-time ratings LEADER during several months/quarters over the past 3 years.

If you want overall airline quality ratings, several resources are available. A couple university professors tabulate an unbiased overall airline quality index each year
Last full year (2002) America West ranked 4th out of 10 major airlines.

AW's ON TIME RATING was 82.9% for the year. This was 4th best and BETTER THAN SOUTHWEST.

I continue to be mystified as to why AW gets so much bad press at this board when the numbers indicate AW is just as reliable (or slightly moreso) as other US carriers.

Who would brag: my plane was on time? But everybody will complain: the plane was 10 minutes late!! Just enjoy your vacation planning and don't sweat over small things.

As I recall, AW has put a great deal of effort in improving their on-time performance. They are also upgrading their fleet (time was you flew on elderly hand-me-down 737s with flat-as-board seats with blown-out padding), which helps considerably. If the price is right, go for it-- you'll be fine.

In my experience I wished my plane was just "10 minutes late". These were nightmare flights. On 2 occasions we sat on the runway for 45 mins and than had to wait an additional 20 because we were now at the end of the line with 5 planes ahear of us for take off. The there was the time we had to wait for 90 mins from Phoenix because of "mechanical problems"- would you feel safe getting on a plane after that? Our late flights were ususally late by 25 mins (touch down) or more. But, like I said, things appear to be much better now. My last 4 flights have been on time. And it is very easy to cash in FF miles for upgrades. Minus- meals are rarely offered, even for 4 hour flights. Still, I don't mind traveling w/ them now.

We've probably flown them 6 times or more and I don't recall any considerable delay.

I have flown both United and American and have had mechanical delays. In one case, we had to taxi back to the gate. I am glad they checked out any potential problems and I have felt completely safe flying. Sitting on the runway at peak times is par for the course. As for America West, I have flown them in the past and have never had any problems with them. The only thing I have against AW is they pulled out of Columbus. They were a major player here. Now, getting from a to b is costlier and we lost a lot of direct flights.

Well I'm happy with any flight that gets in within 30 minutes of schedule. After all, they're dealing with weather in all parts of the country, airports full of other planes, travelers etc. Just make up you mind its an approximation and go with the flow.

Great advice, nytraveler.
You'd never get a feature spot on the TV show "Airline" though.

Love em!!!! I've flown America West many, many, many times. Almost always on time, clean planes, friendly crew, great prices and a top-notch frequent flyer program. What more could you ask for????

Another thumbs up for America West. One of the big pluses for me is their Phoenix base-I can fly from SFO to FLL
and go thru PHX not ORD or DEN or NYC-especially in the winter! My friend who swears by United has gotten stuck in Chicago and Denver for hours this season because of bad weather! And they are partners with Hawaiin Air which makes travels to the other islands a breeze. Never had on-time probs with them. Happy Travels!
R5

I flew them about 6 times in 2001 and for one, despite the fact the weather was great (FL to AZ in April), the turbulence each time at points in the flight were horrible. No one ever got on the intercom to calm everyone--and people were getting quite scared. I arrived on time about 90% of the time. However, when we were delayed, we were really delayed..one hour and 15 minutes on the tarmac waiting for flights in front of us to go. I have always used Delta and American and I'll be honest, I never felt safe on AW. I have no reason to use them anymore and I hope I never have to.

There have been a few posts questioning the safety of AW, and I do not think this is fair. The fact is, AW has never lost a passenger to a mechanical failure. UAL, AA and Delta can't make this claim. During the winter, you're probably more likely to be on time flying AW since their 2 hubs are in warm weather climes. I have flown in excess of 200 flights with them and while there have been occasions where planes were late and service less than perfect, 90% of the time every thing is good or great. No need to avoid them.

First of all it is not true that they are always late. Their on-time ratings have really changed. They are doing very good.

Secondly as a frequent flyer I think that airlines often take the heat for being late in take offs and therefore arrivals thanks to their passengers. I can't tell you how many times the flight I've been on has lost its place in the departure line because the passengers couldn't get settled and get all the crap they carried on in the overhead bins. I've heard flight attendants plead for them to speed up or we would lose our place in line. No luck, though.

Thirdly, if you post this under airlines you would be better off.