^'(omonr
m
Sharon Watson
Charlie Cross
started the scouts
off with model
explanations.
nd
Scout program
gathers support
Volunteers from nearly every department
in Winston have been working with a new scout
explorer post.
Post No. 049 has members from several
counties in the Winston-Salem area. It was
formed, with Piedmont’s help, to further the
aviation interests of the scouts who are be
tween 15 and 18 years old.
The Company’s advisory committee for the
post is c h a i r e d by Vice President — Flight
Operations Jack Tadlock. Charlie Cross, who
is Manager-Stewardess Training, is the group’s
Institutional Representative. The Post Advisor
is Sharon Watson of the Central Reservations
Office.
Other Piedmont volunteers w'orking with
the group include Associate Advisor Wayne
Barber, from Technical Publications; Advisory
committee members Vernon Bess from Main
tenance, Dick James from Research and Norm
McAllister from Data Processing.
The Scouts meet at Piedmont twice a month.
Their first meeting was in December and their
programs have already encompassed presenta
tions by flight attendants and pilots. Future
program plans will introduce the members to
the central reservations office, the FA A tower
operations and the flight simulator.
December, 1974
Vol. XXV, No. 3
Among regionals—our customers are happiest
Among all the regional airlines in the U. S.
in 1974 Piedmont had the happiest customers.
In fact, having the happiest passengers is
becoming traditional.
We interpret all this good news from the
numbers in the monthly Consumer Reports
from the Civil Aeronautics Board.
Since this report was started, in 1970, by
what is now called the Office of the Consumer
Advocate at the Board Piedmont has always
ranked first or second among the regional
carriers and near the top in the entire industry.
Piedmont was in second place in 1970 and
1971, in first place in 1972, and in second
place in 1973. And we’re back in that number
one spot for 1974.
Traffic figures
show 1974 was
best year ever
Piedmont’s year-end trafl'ic results were the
best in the Company’s history.
The airline carried 3,821,136 passengers dur
ing the twelve month period. This was an in
crease of 8.38 per cent over the number flown
during 1973.
The December passenger totals showed a
a slight, .89 per cent, increase over the same
period last year. There were 284,565 passengers
enplaned during December, 1974 compared to
282.053 during the same month a year earlier.
Revenue passenger miles were up 10.33 per
cent for the year to 1,097,082,663 as com
pared to 994,352,735 for 1973.
The increase in RPM’s for December was
3.53 per cent to 85,352,978 from 82,444,174
the previous year.
For the twelve months the load factor was
also up, to 52.9 per cent, from 50 per cent for
1973.
In December the load factor declined. In the
final month of 1974 the percentage of available
seats sold was 46.23 per cent as compared to
51.56 per cent for the same month in 1973.
The Company’s financial results have not
yet been finalized. They should be complete in
February.
The report rates complaints based upon the
number of enplanements per 100,000 passengers
boarded.
The figures for 1974 tell the story best. The
following table shows where Piedmont was on
the monthly charts:
FI’s ranking in CAB Consumer Reports
1974
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
Jun. Jul. Aug.
Sep. Oct. Nov.
Dec.
All Carriers
4 7 5 5 3
2 1 4
6 1 2
n/a
Regional
Carriers
2 2 12 1
1 1 2
2 1 2
4
July and October were Piedmont’s very best
months. For both of those reporting periods
we were not only number one among the region-
als, but also number one in the industry. And
in October our rating was significantly better
than that of the next best carrier. We had
about a half a complaint per 100,000 passengers
for what appears to be the lowest figure, or
best rating, any carrier has achieved since
the CAB has been recording complaints.
Our record of keeping our customers happy
is certainly a tribute to all employees. Not just
our personnel who meet and talk with our
customers but those behind the scenes in
maintenance, accounting, data processing,
operations, flight control and everywhere.
Every employee contributes to the Company’s
efforts to provide our customers with the very
best and safest air transportation possible.
Keeping them happy keeps us on top.
i
Any list of who's
who or where or
what in Washington
would be woefully
incomplete
without prominent
mention of
Piedmont. And
Piedmont's who,
where and what
in our Nation's
capitoi is Bud
Halsey recently
found standing on
the right of
President Gerald
Ford. Others are
Frank Bradley,
at left and
West Virginia
Congressman Bill
Wampler, far right.
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