US Airways' woes a big challenge for new COO

ByABC News
September 10, 2007, 4:34 PM

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Robert Isom refers to his two-year hiatus from the airline industry as payback time.

He went from airline executive with cushy travel benefits to full-fare-paying frequent flier, racking up tens of thousands of miles on Northwest Airlines and other airlines as he traveled weekly on business for financing giant GMAC.

Isom encountered his share of long lines, lost bags, dirty planes and gate agents who didn't know what to do with him when flights were delayed or canceled.

"When you're flying as an airline executive, it's a different product than I think the everyday customer sees," he said.

"I got to see the business at its best and at its worst. That experience is great."

Isom will need to call on that experience and his 15 years as an executive at Northwest and America West in his new job as chief operating officer of US Airways, a vacant position he was named to on Thursday.

The airline has been at or near the bottom of industry rankings in on-time performance, baggage handling and customer complaints for the past year, and frequent fliers say they are fed up.

Still sporting a visitor's badge, the trim, 43-year-old executive sat down for an interview with The Arizona Republic on his first day at the airline's headquarters to talk about his new role and his plans for the carrier.

Excerpts from that conversation follow:

Question:As a road warrior, what bugged you most about traveling on US Airways?

Answer:In terms of the overall experience, it was great at times and only OK or so-so or unacceptable at others. I think that lack of consistency is just something we need to address. You can't have one stellar month followed by two or three bad months.

People, especially the road warriors, are going to judge you on how well you do over an extended period of time. It's not just a snapshot. .. it's a film.

Q:You have mentioned how your US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix on Wednesday was flawless, with no long lines, courteous service, an on-time arrival and no problems with checked baggage. Neither city is one of the airline's trouble spots.