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Rating the airlines
University professors say Alaska's service,
already top drawer, is better than a year ago
Posted April 8, 2003
For the third straight year -- and fourth time in five years -- Alaska Airlines has been rated one of the nation's top two major airlines in an annual study of customer service conducted by aviation and marketing professors at Wichita State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
The study, released Monday, rates Alaska No. 2 for 2002. While that’s a drop from its No. 1 rating in 2001, Alaska’s overall score actually improved year-over-year.
USAirways was rated No. 1. Third place went to Southwest Airlines, which climbed from No. 8 in 2001.
The study evaluated carriers on 15 elements important to consumers.
Alaska, which also was rated No. 2 in 2000 and 1998, showed across-the-board improvement for the second straight year.
"Consistent solid improvement in the areas of on-time performance, involuntary denied boarding and customer complaints and industry-best baggage handling rate helped Alaska stay near the top," researchers said.
The rating, conducted annually by the University of Nebraska Aviation Institute and W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State, offers a means to compare quality among airlines using objective performance-based data.
Criteria included in the study are screened to meet two basic elements: They must be readily obtainable from published data sources for each airline, and they must be important to consumers regarding airline quality.
"It’s interesting to note that despite the financial problems faced by the industry, we are seeing marked improvements across the board," said Brent Bowen of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. "Only one of the airlines (American Eagle) we ranked showed a noticeable decline. Eight others improved; one (Northwest) stayed virtually the same."
"Airline quality has improved for the second consecutive year. That’s a good thing, but it should have improved given that there are fewer passengers and fewer scheduled flights," said Dean Headley of Wichita State. "A simpler system should make it easier to perform well. Let's hope the airlines can remember the importance of taking care of passengers when times get better."
Rating the airlines
University professors say Alaska's service,
already top drawer, is better than a year ago
Posted April 8, 2003
For the third straight year -- and fourth time in five years -- Alaska Airlines has been rated one of the nation's top two major airlines in an annual study of customer service conducted by aviation and marketing professors at Wichita State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
The study, released Monday, rates Alaska No. 2 for 2002. While that’s a drop from its No. 1 rating in 2001, Alaska’s overall score actually improved year-over-year.
USAirways was rated No. 1. Third place went to Southwest Airlines, which climbed from No. 8 in 2001.
The study evaluated carriers on 15 elements important to consumers.
Alaska, which also was rated No. 2 in 2000 and 1998, showed across-the-board improvement for the second straight year.
"Consistent solid improvement in the areas of on-time performance, involuntary denied boarding and customer complaints and industry-best baggage handling rate helped Alaska stay near the top," researchers said.
The rating, conducted annually by the University of Nebraska Aviation Institute and W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State, offers a means to compare quality among airlines using objective performance-based data.
Criteria included in the study are screened to meet two basic elements: They must be readily obtainable from published data sources for each airline, and they must be important to consumers regarding airline quality.
"It’s interesting to note that despite the financial problems faced by the industry, we are seeing marked improvements across the board," said Brent Bowen of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. "Only one of the airlines (American Eagle) we ranked showed a noticeable decline. Eight others improved; one (Northwest) stayed virtually the same."
"Airline quality has improved for the second consecutive year. That’s a good thing, but it should have improved given that there are fewer passengers and fewer scheduled flights," said Dean Headley of Wichita State. "A simpler system should make it easier to perform well. Let's hope the airlines can remember the importance of taking care of passengers when times get better."
