Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., for four out of the last five months, led the U.S. mainland carriers in on-time percentage following its record in July when it bested all U.S. carriers in on-time arrivals.
The record is significant given Delta’s attempt to abrogate its contract with Pinnacle earlier this year for failing to reach performance goals. Related Story  It is also significant because Pinnacle flies into some of the more difficult regions – the Northeast Corridor; Detroit, Minneapolis and Atlanta, Georgia – and still maintains its excellent record. This consistency is a direct result of two major Pinnacle initiatives: to measure everything and to maintain an operational culture that provides the best tools for its team. Recognized as a leading regional airline, Pinnacle continuously ranks in the top three for on-time arrivals and has been number one for 24 of the past 34 months. The most recent month statistics show Pinnacle with an on-time arrival percentage of 90.6 percent.
Though all airlines have rigid processes, said the airline, Pinnacle differentiates itself by measuring 1,800 parts, on every airplane, minute by minute, on its 1,000+ daily flights. Using a variety of metrics, the airline is able to collect important data and pay close attention to detail, which guarantees that the Pinnacle team has a complete grasp of its time constraints and works successfully within them.
The airline has four major metrics that measure the most obvious activities: the timing of each Pinnacle flight, the number of flights completed, the number of complaints filed and the percentage of mishandled bags. However, Pinnacle also has 100+ smaller metrics that measure the minutia, but are the key to timeliness: how long a plane is on the ground, how long it takes for the luggage to reach the baggage carousel, the amount of time it takes for a plane to taxi, when the passenger door opens, when the cargo door shuts (to name a few). These smaller metrics track each of these actions. Data is reviewed daily and then used to plan the most accurate schedules.