nw info in WSJ today
Apr 5, 2005 | 6:47 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Phoenix/Columbus
Programs: Delta Silver Medallion, United Gold, US Airways silver
Posts: 1,748
nw info in WSJ today
AIRLINE QUALITY RANKINGS
The following are rankings based on an annual rating of airline quality, according to the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute and W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. The 2005 Airline Quality Rating is based on 2003 and 2004 Transportation Department statistics:
1. JetBlue Airlines
2. AirTran Airways
3. Southwest Airlines
4. United Airlines
5. Alaska Airlines
6. America West Airlines
7. Northwest Airlines
8. American Airlines
9. Continental Airlines
10. American Trans Air
11. Delta Air Lines
12. US Airways
13. American Eagle Airlines
14. SkyWest
15. Comair
16. Atlantic Southeast Airlines
-- Associated Press
...and worst "seat pitch" among the competition:
"Northwest Airlines flies more DC9-30s than any other plane, and those old jets have only 30 inches of coach seat pitch. That is as tight a squeeze as you get on Irish upstart RyanAir, one of the lowest-cost airlines in the world. (Northwest notes that it flies almost as many A320s as DC9s, and the A320s have 30-32 inches of seat pitch, compared to 30-31 for the DC9s.)"
Need to keep that elite status!
The following are rankings based on an annual rating of airline quality, according to the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute and W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. The 2005 Airline Quality Rating is based on 2003 and 2004 Transportation Department statistics:
1. JetBlue Airlines
2. AirTran Airways
3. Southwest Airlines
4. United Airlines
5. Alaska Airlines
6. America West Airlines
7. Northwest Airlines
8. American Airlines
9. Continental Airlines
10. American Trans Air
11. Delta Air Lines
12. US Airways
13. American Eagle Airlines
14. SkyWest
15. Comair
16. Atlantic Southeast Airlines
-- Associated Press
...and worst "seat pitch" among the competition:
"Northwest Airlines flies more DC9-30s than any other plane, and those old jets have only 30 inches of coach seat pitch. That is as tight a squeeze as you get on Irish upstart RyanAir, one of the lowest-cost airlines in the world. (Northwest notes that it flies almost as many A320s as DC9s, and the A320s have 30-32 inches of seat pitch, compared to 30-31 for the DC9s.)"
Need to keep that elite status!
Apr 5, 2005 | 8:04 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: SAN Diego (Hillcrest); formerly LEXington, KY; still like the nym
Programs: DL Platinum; Marriott Lifetime Platinum; married to Hilton Elite
Posts: 3,029
I don't always agree with Michael Boyd, but in this case he is spot on.
He is absolutely correct that these "rankings" have little to do with actual airline quality.
Remember, never rely on a statistic you haven't fudged yourself!
Today, according to news reports, the much-awaited "Airline Quality Report" is expected to be issued. As we've noted in the past, this document can make for really great reading. The initial teaser press release issued yesterday gives us a clue that this year's document may be a real winner.
Remember, never rely on a statistic you haven't fudged yourself!
Apr 5, 2005 | 8:52 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MSY
Programs: NW Gold and now Delta Gold
Posts: 3,072
these rankings have got to be a hoax
I suspect an April Fool gone bad.
Apr 5, 2005 | 4:23 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Louisville, KY, US
Programs: QF Plat - OW EMD | DL Gold / Starwood Gold
Posts: 6,106
Originally Posted by peachfront
I suspect an April Fool gone bad.
FWIW, a carrier such as WN which primarily uses uncongested airports (i.e. MDW vs ORD, SJC/OAK vs SFO, etc) is going to have a better on-time record. An airline which doesn't interline baggage is going to have less baggage problems (WN) as they wont' be on the receiving end of an interline gone bad where the final carrier is responsible, etc. (i.e.: Malev or KLM doesn't interline my bag to NW at AMS, NW is my final carrier on arrival, NW is held responsible for the baggage)
Larger carriers with more complex operations are more likely to have complaints submitted to the transportation dept as well, IMHO - because of the scope of their operations, including large congested airports, international flights and more complex schedules getting you to cities the LCC's can't, there is (slightly) more potential for a problem. LCC's can be great in the markets they serve, but they're fairly limited when compared to the networks of the legacy carriers. Try flying from Gainesville, FL, to Pullman, WA, on an LCC or Key West, FL, to Lexington, Kentucky -- or heck, Budapest to Boston.
Best,
SDF_Traveler (in MEL)