Southwest Remains Top-Rated U.S. Airline Overall Average Quality Ratings Slipped A Little Last Year From ‘95

Southwest Airlines widened its lead over the competition, collecting its second straight first place in an annual airline quality rating by university researchers.

“Obviously, Southwest is a clear top-quality performer,” Dean Headley of Wichita State University said at a news conference last week.

Five airlines bunched close together to form a second tier, added Brent Bowen of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. They are American, United, Delta, Continental and Northwest.

The professors praised Continental as the most improved airline, jumping from last place to fifth in this year’s ratings.

Bringing up the last three spots in the rankings were US Airways, America West and TWA.

“These ratings tell you you’re more likely to have a satisfactory experience in a higher-rated airline,” Bowen said. “However, it doesn’t mean you always will.”

The researchers base their ratings on 19 criteria, including on-time arrivals and departures, safety, age of aircraft, customer complaints, financial stability, pilot deviations, number of accidents, denied boardings and mishandled baggage.

Southwest had the best on-time performance last year and was the only airline to arrive on time more than 80 percent of its flights. It also lost fewer bags than other major carriers, though it did have a relatively poor performance on bumping passengers from overbooked flights.

The overall average quality ratings for the nation’s nine major carriers slipped a little last year, compared with 1995, Headley said.

The airlines are doing well financially but are cutting back on personnel and services, which can be noticed by travelers, he said.

Southwest and American have dueled for first place over the last several years.

Continental showed dramatic gains, the report said, with the fewest denied boardings and placing second in on-time performance and lost baggage.

Northwest also recorded improvements, the professors said, with better baggage handling and on-time performance.