Air travel: Customer complaints decline, delayed flights up
Published:Tuesday | April 8, 2014 | 12:00 AM
DALLAS (AP):
A big drop in customer complaints helped United States (US) airlines post their best ratings ever even though more flights were late and more bags were mishandled, according to a report released yesterday by university researchers.
Virgin America topped the ratings, and three regional airlines scored at the bottom.
Among the four biggest airlines, Delta ranked best followed by Southwest, American, and United, according to researchers from Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
grading system
The researchers have graded airlines since 1991 on government figures for on-time performance, mishandled bags, bumping passengers, and complaints filed with the US Department of Transportation.
Their key findings were:
On-time Performance: Airlines operated 78.4 per cent of their flights on time in 2013, down from 81.8 per cent in 2012. Best: Hawaiian Airlines; worst: American Eagle. Only two airlines improved: American Airlines and United.
Bag Handling: The rate of lost, stolen, or delayed bags rose five per cent. Best: Virgin America; worst: American Eagle.
Bumping: The rate of bumping passengers from flights fell eight per cent. Best: JetBlue Airways; worst: SkyWest.
Complaints: Consumer complaints to the government dropped 15 per cent in 2013 after rising 20 per cent the year before. Best: Southwest Airlines; worst: Frontier.