After more than two weeks hidden from the public, Heathrow has now published the results from its Fly Quiet & Green programme for 2018 Q3.
Unfortunately it seems determined to persist with the flaky arithmetic and absence of logic and common sense that characterised the results for previous quarters (which remain unaltered).
For Q3, as with previous quarters, league table scores have again been inflated, this time by a record 45% compared to the results that are produced when Heathrow's own published methodology and performance rankings are used. Once again that increase has not been applied uniformly across all 50 airlines (some of the poorer performing carriers have been awarded more than double the number of points that they merit), with the result that the relative league table positions are significantly altered.
Among the many anomalies in the Q3 results are:
a Individual airline scores are inflated by between 17% and 138%, with the poorest performing carriers receiving the biggest unjustified increase in their score. The lowest score awarded by Heathrow, 465 points, is over 200 points more than the airline in question actually merits based on its performance.
b Emirates and (again) Cathay Pacific are given an unexplained hike up the table (by 16 and 14 places respectively).
c Airlines entitled to feel aggrieved with this quarter's published results include Kuwait Airways, relegated 16 places from its rightful position, together with Qantas, also robbed (again) of 16 places. Qantas, despite meriting 470 points by Heathrow's own methodology, putting it just above Eurowings, bizarrely ends up 14 places below the German carrier.
d "RAG" (red/amber/green) classifications are again applied inconsistently; for example El Al and Ethiopian Airlines, ranked 47th and 48th, respectively, by Heathrow for early/late movements, get an "Amber" for that category while Delta and Aer Lingus, ranked 31st and 32nd for that metric by Heathrow, both get a "Red". Go figure.
e A total of 182 flights by Finnair's A350 fleet appear not to have been taken into account in calculating the results, with only its narrow-body flights having been counted.
Q3 2018