Philly Road Warrior | Air-travel news offers a bit of hope

Philadelphia Inquirer, The, September, 2007 by Tom Belden Inquirer Staff Writer

For those keenly interested in Philadelphia air travel, last week brought a series of announcements that confirm its maddening state but offer passengers some hope for change in the future. First came the monthly report on airport and airline on-time performance and customer service from the Department of Transportation. A day later, the Federal Aviation Administration made a final decision on the always troublesome Philadelphia-New York airspace redesign plan, evoking an outcry from public officials in pockets of the region.

Then, in perhaps the week's most important development, US Airways announced it hired a seasoned airport operations manager as its executive vice president and chief operating officer. While the company didn't say it in so many words, hiring Robert Isom is key to its effort to deal with the problems clearly identified in the government report on flight delays and service.

The facts speak ...