Delta first, Southwest last in survey
Triangle Business Journal by Chris Bagley, Staff Writer
Date: Monday, October 17, 2011, 9:57am EDT
Delta soars among business travelers.
Chris Bagley Staff Writer - Triangle Business Journal
The two largest airlines operating at Raleigh-Durham International Airport rank at the top and bottom of the spectrum in terms of the business-travel experience, according to a trade publication.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) – Raleigh-Durham’s No. 2 airline in terms of passenger numbers – finished first among five major U.S. airlines in an annual survey by Business Travel News. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) – Raleigh-Durham’s leading carrier by traffic – ranked last.
Business Travel News compiled the rankings based on 400 travel managers’ and buyers’ evaluations of the five carriers on 10 criteria, including price value, customer service, complaint resolution, and flexibility in negotiating transient fares and prices for meetings, services, and amenities.
Recent mergers played an important role in the rankings. BTN considered Southwest and its recently acquired Air Tran Airways together, though they are only beginning to integrate their operations. Ditto for United Airlines and Continental Airlines, which came in second despite Continental’s top finish last year. The two have shared a corporate parent, United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL) since last year, and BTN said some travel managers suggested that the airlines lost the top spot this year because of integration-related issues.
As for Southwest and AirTran, “Respondents saw little flexibility from the carrier in structuring preferred airline agreements and reported difficulty in booking some of its airfares through preferred channels,” Jay Boehmer wrote in BTN’s report.
Meanwhile, Delta appears to have smoothly integrated Northwest Airlines, which it acquired in 2008, some travelers said. And Delta benefits from advanced television service that Northwest had installed in many of its planes pre-acquisition.
US Airways (NYSE: LCC) finished third in the survey, and American Airlines (NYSE: AMR) finished fourth. The airlines are No. 3 and No. 4 at Raleigh-Durham in terms of passenger numbers. Travel managers credited US Air’s improvement from last place in 2010 to increased flexibility in negotiating rates and services.
At 24/7 Wall Street, writer Douglas McIntyre opined that American slipped from second place partly as a result of service cuts that the carrier has made amid eroding finances. McIntyre also noted that American’s share price has plunged 60 percent from its 52-week high, while other carriers have fallen only 25 to 40 percent. Major carriers have been beset this year by rising fuel costs and falling passenger numbers, even as regional airlines report increased traffic, both at Raleigh-Durham and nationally.
Triangle Business Journal by Chris Bagley, Staff Writer
Date: Monday, October 17, 2011, 9:57am EDT
Delta soars among business travelers.
Chris Bagley Staff Writer - Triangle Business Journal
The two largest airlines operating at Raleigh-Durham International Airport rank at the top and bottom of the spectrum in terms of the business-travel experience, according to a trade publication.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) – Raleigh-Durham’s No. 2 airline in terms of passenger numbers – finished first among five major U.S. airlines in an annual survey by Business Travel News. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) – Raleigh-Durham’s leading carrier by traffic – ranked last.
Business Travel News compiled the rankings based on 400 travel managers’ and buyers’ evaluations of the five carriers on 10 criteria, including price value, customer service, complaint resolution, and flexibility in negotiating transient fares and prices for meetings, services, and amenities.
Recent mergers played an important role in the rankings. BTN considered Southwest and its recently acquired Air Tran Airways together, though they are only beginning to integrate their operations. Ditto for United Airlines and Continental Airlines, which came in second despite Continental’s top finish last year. The two have shared a corporate parent, United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL) since last year, and BTN said some travel managers suggested that the airlines lost the top spot this year because of integration-related issues.
As for Southwest and AirTran, “Respondents saw little flexibility from the carrier in structuring preferred airline agreements and reported difficulty in booking some of its airfares through preferred channels,” Jay Boehmer wrote in BTN’s report.
Meanwhile, Delta appears to have smoothly integrated Northwest Airlines, which it acquired in 2008, some travelers said. And Delta benefits from advanced television service that Northwest had installed in many of its planes pre-acquisition.
US Airways (NYSE: LCC) finished third in the survey, and American Airlines (NYSE: AMR) finished fourth. The airlines are No. 3 and No. 4 at Raleigh-Durham in terms of passenger numbers. Travel managers credited US Air’s improvement from last place in 2010 to increased flexibility in negotiating rates and services.
At 24/7 Wall Street, writer Douglas McIntyre opined that American slipped from second place partly as a result of service cuts that the carrier has made amid eroding finances. McIntyre also noted that American’s share price has plunged 60 percent from its 52-week high, while other carriers have fallen only 25 to 40 percent. Major carriers have been beset this year by rising fuel costs and falling passenger numbers, even as regional airlines report increased traffic, both at Raleigh-Durham and nationally.
Last edited:
