Atlantic Coast Airlines/Independence Air would do well to (1) emphasize basic customer service; and (2) establish one or more alliances with major carriers. During 2003, I took more than 50 ACA flights. Regarding (1) (customer service) I would estimate that at least 40 of them were late, and more than a handful of flights cancelled, some for very poor reasons. For instance, ACA had a 5.30pm (about) CRJ departure from LGA to IAD. This was a convenient time for me, and I scheduled it nearly every Friday afternoon. However, this flight was frequently cancelled -- not due to weather or other unpredictable problems -- but because ACA scheduled this flight as the last leg for a crew that started off on a 4 or 5 leg day from Indianapolis. Because of prior flight times and mandatory FAA regulations regarding maximum crew flight times, this flight had to actually take off from LGA within 30 minutes of scheduled departure or the crew could not lawfully complete the flight. After several cancellations (each of which involved not only inconvenience but an unreimbursed $180+ hotel charge), I changed my plans to take the 7.00pm United mainline flight, even though it was a less convenient schedule. Moreover, in early 2003, ACA deleted one of three IAD-LGA late Sunday afternoon flights, despite the fact that all three were routinely booked 100%, causing regular travellers much inconvenience (i.e., I then had to schedule a 2pm flight and spend less time with my family). Unlike many of the schedule problems airlines encounter due to the nature of their business, these types of problems are self-induced and generate particular customer service problems. The other customer service problem that ACA needs to address is the delivery of baggage at their hub at IAD. I have routinely waited 45 minutes and sometimes waited as long as 90 minutes on a Friday night for the bags from my flight to be delivered to carousel 1. This is clearly a staff scheduling (or perhaps, ground support equipment) issue, but also clearly under ACA's control. I sincerely believe that ACA should take a top-to-bottom look at its entire customer service operation because it is this operation, more than anything else that ACA can do, which will build customer loyalty. Regarding (2) (frequent flyer alliance) ACA should not underestimate the pull of the major airlines frequent flyer programs. The ONLY reason I stayed with ACA as long as I did was because of its tie-in with United Mileage Plus. As soon as the US Airways flights became available for Mileage Plus credit, I switched to US Airways because of superior customer service. If ACA's business model is primarily to aim at the leisure market, then perhaps a major frequent flyer alliance is less important because pure leisure travellers typically do not accrue enough mileage for frequent flyer status (etc) to make a difference. But for a business traveller like me, it will make a big difference. Even if the benefits of an independent ACA frequent flyer program are superior to United Mileage Plus or AAdvantage -- who wants to redeem points for a trip to a second tier eastern city? The key for ACA's frequent flyer program is not the internal benefits, but the ability to earn mileage on ACA and redeem it on other carriers with flights to more desireable destinations.

I wish ACA good luck on its new endeavor. It is certainly a challenging time in which to make a grand strategy play as that which it plans. If ACA can provide good customer service and reasonable frequent flyer alliances, I will be back in the A Concourse at IAD. If it cannot, I am likely to be a customer of its successor as the United Express carrier in IAD.