Discount Carriers Cop Three Of Four Top Rankings

Common sense tells us that you only get what you pay for, but the saying may not always hold true when it comes to air travel. A recent Forbes survey comparing 10 US airlines revealed three lower-cost carriers earned highest marks when judged in six categories of performance.

"We collected five years' worth of data relating to on-time arrival, cancellations, complaints and mishandled baggage from the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Transportation. Delays and cancellations, the factors most likely to ruin a flier's day, were given double weight," Forbes said.

Also included in the criteria are consumer satisfaction rankings from J. D. Power and Associates from 2005 to 2008, rating factors such as cost, fees, in-flight services and check-in. Rounding out the survey is a solvency rating based on the airlines' asset-to-liability ratio for the latest quarter.

In Forbes' survey, the carrier with the highest rating is...Southwest Airlines. The no-frills carrier topped the chart by a hefty margin with the highest overall score, and came in first in the categories of on-time arrivals, fewest canceled flights and fewest complaints.

Runner-up Continental Airlines, while not leading in any one category, garnered solid marks all around. Other top-scorers, in descending order, include JetBlue Airways, tying with Southwest for fewest complaints and earning kudos from J. D. Powers; and AirTran, with the fewest mishandled bags.

The middle ranks are held by Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and Northwest Airlines, with the lowest overall scores earned by American Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.

J. D. Power and Associates spokesman Sam Thanawalla relates reliability to "delivering on the promises," meaning not only timely travel but also putting the customer first. JetBlue, Southwest and Continental, excelling in this approach, are frequently ranked high in J. D. Power satisfaction surveys, Forbes reports.

With airlines now cutting capacity, adding hefty checked-baggage charges and charging for formerly free services, "it's going to move the consumer's expectation needle," William Swebar at MIT's International Center for Air Transportation said. "That's the sensitive part of all of this."

Envisioning an invigorating change for a troubled industry, Swebar hopes increased fees will come to represent an actual increase in the quality of service, rather than desperate attempts to break even. "Any call to arms for the industry to look at itself and put the consumer first would be a terrific first step," he said.

FMI: www.forbes.com, www.southwest.com, www.jetblue.com, www.continental.com, www.airtran.com