GMAT Essays (AWA)

The following appeared in an article in a travel magazine:
“After the airline industry began requiring airlines to report their on-time rates, Speedee Airlines achieved the number one on-time rate, with more than 89 percent of its flights arriving on time each month. And now Speedee is offering more flights to more destinations than ever before. Clearly, Speedee is the best choice for today’s business traveler.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.


Above statement is trying to say that Speedee Airlines is the best choice for today’s business traveler as Speedee Airlines has very high on time rate and as it is offering more flights to more destinations than ever before. After analysis I don't think that the statement is providing the whole picture and if a reader bases his judgment only upon above statement then he might make a mistake.

First of all, even if we assume the validity of the data provided in the above statement we cannot say Speedee Airlines is the best one. We need many more performace indicators such as flight safety, quality of in flight service , ticket rates etc. to make that particular conclusion.

Secondly, the author should also provide actual numbers of on-time flights and total numbers of flights operated by Speedee Airlines as well as by other airlines. Only percentage figure could be misleading. For Instance, Speedee Airlines could have had very few flights as compared to other airlines and that’s why Speedee Airlines was able to manage the good on time rate. Moreover, figures such as on time rates of other airlines will help to differentiate among the performance of Speedee Airlines and performances of other airlines. For example, a reader might not get impressed by on time rate of Speedee Airlines if on time rate of other airlines is only slight below 89 percent.

Thirdly, just providing more flights to more destinations doesn't confirm that Speedee Airlines is suitable for a business traveler. The author should also mention departing and arriving locations of new flights, flight timings and ticket rates. Mentioned data will help a reader to really gauge the value of Speedee Airlines. For instance, if departing and arriving locations are mainly residential areas or if flight timings are not suitable to business travelers or if tickets are too costly then one cannot say that Speedee Airlines is the best choice for today’s business traveler.

Along with above points, the author also needs to provide statements which will support that there is no causation between the airline industry began requiring airlines to report their on-time rates and good performance of Speedee Airlines. Without this kind of data a reader might think that Speedee Airlines is managing good on time performance by compromsing something else. If the author provides the on time performance of Speedee Airlines before the particular requirement was implemented then it could impress a reader to a great extent.

To conclude, I think that the author needs to add more data to strengthen the statement as well as to make the statement more persuasive. Added data won't only help a reader to make a correct decision but it will also improve the reliability of the information given in the travel magazine. In long run improved reliability could affect the magazines sale postively.