AirTran No. 2 in airline rankings; Delta No. 12

WASHINGTON — Airlines with large operations in Atlanta ranked second-best and worst, according to the 2009 Airline Quality Rating study released Monday.

AirTran Airways ranked No. 2 behind Hawaiian Airlines in the study that measures on-time performance, baggage handling, customer complaints and denied boardings. At the other end of the spectrum, Atlantic Southeast Airlines ranked last, according to the study by Wichita State University and Saint Louis University.

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John Spink/jspink@ajc.com

The recession has reduced the number of flights, which has helped improve on-time performance.

AIRLINE QUALITY RANKINGS

Rankings of the nation's biggest airlines based on on-time arrivals, involuntary denied boardings, mishandled baggage and customer complaints.
1. Hawaiian
2. AirTran
3. JetBlue
4. Northwest
5. Alaska
6. Southwest
7. Frontier
8. Continental
9. American
10. US Airways
11. United
12. Delta
13. SkyWest
14. Mesa
15. Comair
16. AmericanEagle
17. Atlantic Southeast

Source: 2009 Airline Quality Ratings

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Delta ranked No. 12 on the list, down from No. 10 a year ago. Delta, the biggest carrier at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, fell in part because of a significant spike in customer complaints, perhaps related to its ongoing merger with Northwest Airlines.

“I’m speculating, but if (customers) don’t know who’s flying what, what routes are left, that could be part of the problem,” said Dean Headley, a Wichita State University marketing professor and co-author of the report said in an interview here.

The nation’s airlines all improved their performance records for the first time in five years in 2008 — and they might get even better in 2009, the study said.

Headley attributed the overall improvement by all airlines last year in part to the fact that airlines were beginning reduce capacity and routes and focus more on customer service because of the recession. Since most airlines also started charging for baggage, they also probably felt more compelled to improve baggage handling, he said.

As fewer people fly for both business and for leisure because of the poor economy, Headley predicted that airlines’ quality could improve even more this year.

That’s the good news. The bad news is airlines will likely fly fewer routes and prices will likely rise as demand for flights decreases, he said.

“You’re going to see a lot of full airplanes, a little higher price and fewer flights,” Headley said. But “that helps change the congestion problem, which makes the system work better.”

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On the Net:

Federal Aviation Administration: www.faa.gov

Bureau of Transportation Statistics: www.bts.gov

Study site: http://www.aqr.aero/