Airline Quality Report

The Airline Quality Rating Report has been compiled annually since 1991. This year, the study looked at 18 airlines and was based on Transportation Department statistics. The study is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Wichita State University and examines 15 things important to consumers.

Those factors include on-time performance, mishandled baggage and consumer complaints. As expected, the report tells that hassles like missed connections, delayed flights, lost luggage, are on the rise for the third straight year.

When it came to rating the airlines, the top 3 on the 18-airline list were Hawaiian, JetBlue and AirTran. The bottom 3 were, from worst to best, Atlantic Southeast, American Eagle and Comair. Among the findings, united and US Air tied for the most consumer complaints in 2006. Southwest had the fewest. Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance. Atlantic Southeast had the worst, with those same results in the baggage-handling category.

The Air Transport Association, which represents the major U.S. airlines, released a statement calling many of the problems out of the airline’s control, they said, “The annual study once again focuses on the symptoms rather than the root causes of passenger and airline frustrations. The vast majority of customer service issues arise from weather and congestion flight delays." The study did not include information on recent weather-related delays.

You may read the full report here: Airline Quality Report.