I have been adding to my spreadsheet data, and was doing some testing on ORS at my current overall image rating.
I found one strange thing:
With the same service, seats, and rate at default, I have a route that is LONGER in length, yet has better ORS than a shorter route with exactly the same seats and service.
2636 km - ORS 41/97 (INTL)
2723 km - ORS 44/98 (DOM)
Both have the very same tested aircraft (not just model but the same unit), same onboard profile (double checked) and rates set at default.
One is domestic (the longer one), one is international.
It is widely assumed that ORS goes down with increased distance, if the service and price factor remains the same. Which is confirmed with a third route
3252 km - ORS 40/96
So, why does the longer route (2723 km) has a better ORS than a shorter route (2636 km)?
Is the domestic vs international also a factor of ORS? Anybody has some insights about this?
Maybe the ORS can't be quantified by a spreadsheet? Perhaps there are factors the AS team wishes to keep to themselves so no one can figure out the formula.
Some stuff is just the way it is and it can be strange....I have a connection I checked (IAD-DEN-HNL) and even though I have the same rating for the first leg (IAD-DEN) and a 7 point higher rating on the second leg (DEN-HNL), being faster on each of the 2 legs and faster on the overall route and cheaper than competition, I have a worser overall rating than my direct competitior. I dont understand....I'd fly with my airline :D
... why does the longer route (2723 km) has a better ORS than a shorter route (2636 km)?
Is the domestic vs international also a factor of ORS? Anybody has some insights about this?
Hi,
I have noticed the same. If all variables are the same, you should get the same ORS rating. So for each on-board service level I take two flights and increase prices until the ORS rating drops from 99 to 98. Then I set that price to all flights with the same service level. Strangely enough, a 1600km flight only got a 98 rating, while the longer flights (up to 3500km) had a 99 rating. The difference must have been minimal, because decreasing the ticket price by one dollar was enough to give that 1600km flight also a 99 rating. But perhaps I could raise the 3000km flight by a few dollars and still get a 99 rating.
As the difference is so small, it may well be a matter of rounding a number to the closest figure (4.2 becomes 4 and 4.6 becomes 5) in one formula and cutting what is behind the comma (4.2 and 4.6 both become 4) in another formula.
I think it is normal that the rating decreases over longer distances. On-board service may have 5 green bars up to 6000km, But the 5 green bars are perhaps a number between 80 and 99. On a 4000km flight, the 5 bars could stand for 99 while on a 6000km flight the 5 bars stand for 80. My on-board service for flights under 800km has 4 green bars up to something like 2000km, and my on-board service for flights between 800km and 1500km has 5 green bars up to 3000km or so. Working like this makes me hope that 5 bars actually mean 5 bars.
And the same goes for the seats.
I don't think the ORS makes a difference between domestic flights and international flights.
Jan
Disclaimer: as usual when talking about stuff that is not explained in the wiki (what wiki ?) your guess is just as good as mine ;-)
Some stuff is just the way it is and it can be strange....I have a connection I checked (IAD-DEN-HNL) and even though I have the same rating for the first leg (IAD-DEN) and a 7 point higher rating on the second leg (DEN-HNL), being faster on each of the 2 legs and faster on the overall route and cheaper than competition, I have a worser overall rating than my direct competitior. I dont understand....I'd fly with my airline :D
Your HR director must have hired some ugly FAs. :D