America West Airlines (NYSE: AWA) reported
a year-over-year improvement in operating statistics and customer service for
the month of May as stated in the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Air Travel Consumer Report.

The airline reported a system-wide on-time performance of 77 percent
compared with 69.6 percent in May 2000.  Its percentage of cancelled flights
dropped to 2.0 percent in May 2001 from nearly 3 percent in May 2000.
America West also posted a 43 percent year-over-year improvement in mishandled
baggage, from 5.78 per 1,000 passengers in May 2000 to 3.28 per
1,000 passengers in May 2001, tying it for second among all major airlines.
In addition, denied boardings, measured from January through March 2001,
declined 73 percent versus prior year to .49 per 10,000 passengers, third best
among major airlines.

As a result of these improvements, customer complaints to the DOT declined
by 51 percent, from 5.51 per 100,000 passengers in May 2000 to 2.69 in
May 2001.

At Phoenix, where America West is the leading airline and operates nearly
75 percent of all its flights into or out of Sky Harbor International Airport,
America West`s on-time arrival percentage improved to 85.2 percent from
77.7 percent in May 2000.

America West announced a series of customer service initiatives last
July, and since that time its percentage of flights cancelled has dropped
68 percent.  The airline`s baggage-handling ratio has improved 62 percent over
the same period, and the ratio of consumer complaints dropped 75 percent.

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