Accordingly to Crain's Chicago Business, Southwest and CONTINENTAL were the only two airlines to improve their score from last year, in the wake of the new security regs and ever-more-crowded cabins. Continental's improved ranking (I don't know the actual number, can someone look into it?) shows that legacy carriers can compete. They can compete by providing excellent inflight service - e.g., meals in domestic coach - a top website, and other positive customer service attributes.