European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes wednesday june 8.1988 airlines on time performance improves Washington a the air lines had their Best on Lime performance and least number of consume complaints to the government in the latest aviation consumer statistics made Public monday by the transportation department. The department said it received 36 percent fewer complaints from airline passengers in May than during the same month in 1987. For the first Lime in 15 Mon Lis the number of complaints dipped below inc 2,000 level Alt 820. The latest statistics show that our attempt to instill greater accountability into the aviation system seems to have made a substantial difference transportation Secretary Jim Burnley said in a statement. The department said that in april the latest month for which on time in formation was available the 14 largest airlines had 82.6 percent of their flights arrive within 15 minutes of schedule compared with 7b.8 percent in March. The april figures were the Best since the department began monitoring on Lime performance last september and in part reflected Good weather during the month official said. America West had the Best performance during he month with a 90.8percent on time arrival rate followed by Southwest airlines at 90.3 percent. Pacific Southwest airlines reported a 91.1 percent on time Rale but thai Cov ered Only the first eight Days of the month before its operations were incorporated into us air As a result of last year s merger. Eastern airlines which has been plagued by labor tensions had the worst on time arrival rate among the 14 airlines with 75.5 percent of its flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule. Pan american world air ways reported a 76.5 percent on time Mark. The airlines also misplaced fewer bags during an 6.53 baggage complaints for every 1,000 passengers flown compared with 7.48 reports the previous month and 11.83 reports in january. The number of passengers bumped from flights because of overbooking also declined. There were 3.71 Passen Gers involuntarily bumped for every 10,000 boardings during the first three months of this year compared with 5.46 passengers during the same period of 1987, the department said. Continental airlines and Eastern airlines both owned by Texas air corp., were inc subject of the mos complaints to the department s con Sumer office during May. Continental was he target of 11.43complaints for every 100,000 Passen Gers flown while the rate for Eastern was 10.34 complaints per 100,000. However the figure for Continental represented a Sharp improvement Over a year ago when the department received More than 21 complaints per 100,000 travellers on the Houston based Carrier. Southwest airlines Aloha airlines and air Wisconsin had the Best complaint record with fewer than i complaint for every 100,000 passengers flown. Delia air lines had the fewest complaints among the Large carriers at 1.31 per 100,000 passengers. The Best arrival rate was reported at Salt Lake City where 90.6 percent of the nights arrived on time during april followed by 86.7 percent at Memphis tcnn., and Phoenix Ariz. San Francis co had the worst arrival record at 68.4 percent. The department tabulates on time information for the 27 largest airports based on passenger traffic volume. The april on time statistics arc made Public at the same Lime As the May consumer complaint statistics Al though the two sets of statistics cover different months. Computer glitch at airports making radar data disappear Dallas a critical information is disappear ing momentarily from air traffic controllers screens in airports for Dallas Houston los Angeles and Atlanta because of a computer glitch a newspaper reported tuesday. Information on Altitude airspeed aircraft types Call signs and destinations vanishes from radar screens for up to 20 seconds said he Dallas morning news Quot ing Federal aviation administration officials. Faa officials do nol believe the error in a computer program presents a Hazard to safety Lawrence Warrenl assistant air traffic manager at Dallas fort Worth International Airport said monday. The radar has not failed Parront said. The Pri Mary target is still  the radar image and a four digit number assigned to each aircraft known As a target by controllers remain on the screen. Controllers Are concerned about the glitch and Are monitoring the Faa s Progress in fixing it said Edward f. Muslin a local representative of the National air traffic controllers association. It s a new program and there Are some software problems he Saio i Don t think that s anything unusual. We re not totally comfortable with it but they re working hard on the  the information disappears when inc program de lets a glitch in the system Warrenl said. When information is about to disappear an alarm sounds and controllers have up to five seconds Lorite Down the information or memorise it Faa officials told the morning news. Controllers handle up to 10 aircraft Al a Lime. The new program offers Many features that improve the margin of safety and bugs will be worked out Warrenl said. However the newspaper said some aviation experts and controllers voiced concern that although horizon Tal distance Between aircraft still can be tracked on the screen the glitch could cause problems. 40s Star Ella Raines Dies of cancer los Angeles a Ella Raines who starred opposite John Wayne and Charles Laughton and who travelled the world As the wife of a world War 11 Hying Ace has died of Throat cancer. She was 67. Privalo family services were held for the 194qs-Cra Star whose screen image was described As sultry and mysterious. She died last week Al her Home in suburban Sherman Oaks. Raines born in Snoqualmie Falls Wash achieved almost overnight stardom in 1943 when she was made the sole contract Star of a is million production com Pany founded by actor Charles Boyer and director Howard Hawks. Her first movie was Corvette k.-255," hut she was probably Best known for her role in the 1944 thriller phantom  she made 20 films including tall in the Saddle Wilh Wayne and the sup Kcf with Laughton and she also starred in the 1950s television series Janet Dean  Raines whose first marriage to a childhood Sweet heart ended in divorce shortly after world War ii married flying Ace maj. Robin Olds in 1947. The Union Ted to International travel As her husband was transferred to various bases around the world. Olds who eventually became a brigadier general was commander of the air Force Academy in Colora do Springs in the late 1960s, where the two were Well known for their entertaining. The couple divorced in 1975, and Raines resumed to Southern California. She made guest appearances on a few to shows in recent years including malt Houston and police  she is survived by two daughters Christina new Man and Susan Olds. Fito photo Ella Raines and Robin Olds then an air Force major in 1947. Stateside fires heavily damage 2 egg farms in Maine Dayton Maine a investigators examined the charred remains of two egg farms monday 10 try lode Termine what set off blazes that killed 240,000 hens destroyed thousands of eggs and caused s 7.5 million in damage. The hens were killed at co Hen egg farms in Thi tiny Southern Maine town late saturday in a fire thai engulfed three barns before firefighters arrived. Debris from he 480-foot-Long buildings a still soldering two Days later. About 60 trailer loads of eggs were destroyed Sun Day in a fire that swept through the storage and pack ing facilities at Dechsler egg farms the nation s larg est Brown egg producer in Turner fire chief Laurence Gagne said. No livestock died. Bruce e. Mullen fire chief of goodwins Mills near Dayton estimated the loss at co Hen farms at $2.s million. Gagne said the damage at Dechsler farms located 12 Miles North of Auburn was about is Mil lion. Del. Lieutenant governor to run for . Senate Georgetown Del. A democratic u. Gov. . Woo monday officially announced his bid to unseat three term incumbent . Sen. William a Roth or. Woo said Roth a Republican has provided valuable service to the state but said that does not mean he has been innovative or that he is in tune with the  he faces fellow Democrat Samuel Beard an invest ment banker and a political activist who has state party backing in a september primary. However he never mentioned Beard in his announcement later he said he s targeting his efforts toward Roth. Turkish prime minister is examined in Houston Houston up turkish prime minister tur gut Ozal was examined monday by heart surgeon or. Michael Debakey Al methodist Hospital where Ozal twice underwent surgery last year. Hospital spokeswoman Brenda Blake said Debakey conducted a routine examination of Ozai s eyes and heart. We see excellent results from his recent Eye opera Tion and his vision is Fine Debakey said in a statement released by the Hospital. Other tests show that he prime minister s general condition is every Good and his heart is functioning  oat twice underwent surgery last year Al methodist a heart bypass operation in february and Eye surgery to repair a ruptured blood vessel in december