Hawaii travelers bumped
Extra fuel makes planes too heavy

Dawn Gilbertson
The Arizona Republic

US Airways has gotten off to a less than stellar start with its new service to Hawaii, bumping dozens of passengers off flights and rerouting countless others because its planes were too heavy for takeoff.

The problem, blamed on winter headwinds and the extra fuel they cause planes to guzzle, costs the Tempe carrier on many fronts: compensation for bumped passengers, lost revenue to other airlines for rebooked flights, potential flight delays and, important on a new route, passenger goodwill.

David Seymour, the airline's vice president of operations control and planning, confirmed the weight issues and said the company is working on them but said the problems haven't been widespread. . .(more here)