Wednesday, May 12, 1999
Continental, TWA rated best
BY GLEN JOHNSON
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Frequent travelers say in a survey that Continental Airlines and TWA did the best job of satisfying them last year.
Continental ranked first for long-haul flights — those of more than 500 miles — while TWA placed first for short flights.
Continental's strengths were on-time performance, speedy airport check-in, and good-quality food and delivery, according to the survey results, which were released Tuesday. TWA's were airport check-in process, availability and frequency of flights, and seating comfort.
The annual survey was based on 6,520 flight evaluations from a national sample of frequent fliers who average 27 U.S. round trips each year. It was paid for by J.D. Power and Associates and Frequent Flyer magazine.
In an era when planes are consistently running more than 70 percent full, the survey found that the single largest percentage of travelers — 26 percent — consider on-time performance as their most important issue. In second place was the swiftness of airport check-in, deemed the most important by 15 percent of the respondents.
“This widening gap in passenger satisfaction between high-ranking and marginal airlines indicates a greater need for improvement in both long- and short-haul segments,” said Steve Cohen, manager of the airline practice at J.D. Power.
According to the study, Continental was followed by TWA and American Airlines in terms of long-haul satisfaction. The remaining major airlines fell below the industry average for passenger satisfaction.
In terms of short-haul performance, TWA was followed by Southwest Airlines, Continental, Delta, America West and US Airways. Again, the remaining major airlines fell below the industry average.
Last year, TWA placed first in long-haul satisfaction, followed by Continental, United, America West and American. In 1998, America West placed first in passenger satisfaction for short-haul trips.
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