Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2005)
Regional airline ratings soar higher A recent study revealed that smaller, low-fare airlines are quickly overtaking the larger carriers in quality BY LESLIE MILLER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON, D.C. — Airlines that offer low fares and provide serv ice to smaller cities are chipping away at traditional large airlines like United and American, say the au thors of an annual survey that ranks airline quality. Five of the six top-rated airlines are low-fare carriers, and regional air lines are making it onto the list for the first time because they now carry enough passengers to qualify. Brent Bowen, co-author of the re port and director of the University of Nebraska’s aviation institute, said the traditional big airlines may just go away, leaving low-fare carriers and regional airlines. “Five years ago, low-fare carriers had a 5 to 7 percent market share,” said Dean Headley, study co-author and an associate professor at Wichi ta State University. “Today, the low fare airlines have a 25 percent share. ” Low-fare carriers are succeeding because they have less complicated, more profitable route structures than the traditional airlines, Headley said. That makes it easier to keep cus tomers satisfied, he added. The Airline Quality Rating study, released Monday, is based on Trans portation Department statistics for airlines that carry at least 1 percent of the 630 million passengers who flew domestically last year. JetBlue Airways was ranked as of fering the best service, followed by AirTfan Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and America West Airlines. Two regional carriers transported enough passengers to be ranked for the first time: Cincinnati-based Co mair, a feeder airline owned by Delta, and SkyWest, headquartered in St. George, Utah. Atlantic Southeast, an omer ueita owned feed er airline, made its de but on the list last year. The re gional carri ers were ranked at the bottom of the list for quality, with American Eagle rated 13 th, fol lowed by Sky West, Co mair and At lantic Southeast. The study’s authors said regional airlines have unique challenges. They’re more likely to be late, for example, because they tend to fly into hub airports, which get backed up in bad weather. David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said the quality of service makes little differ ence to airline cus tomers. “The only quali ty that passengers are concerned about is the quali ty of the low fares,” Stempler said. As a rule, air lines generally ar rived later, lost more luggage and caused more con sumer complaints in 2004 than they did the year be fore, the report found. Only four of the 14 major airlines rated in both 2003 and 2004 were found to have improved — AirTran, Atlantic Southeast, JetBlue and United. THE STUDY ALSO FOUND: • On-time performance worsened last year; 78.3 percent of flights arrived on time, down from 82 per cent in 2003. • Complaints about airline service rose 27 percent last year, a much higher increase than the 3.3 per cent growth in the number passengers. • Last year, 4.83 bags were lost, stolen or damaged for every 1,000 passengers. • There was a small increase in the number of pas sengers "bumped," or denied boarding on account of space - 0.87 passengers per 10,000 boardings in 2004, up from 0.86 per 10,000 in 2003. ://uo summer Get Ready for Summer Plan Your ft The UO Summer Session \ Catalog is available on campus. | It’s free. B Summer session starts June 20. B Group-satisfying and elective B courses, seminars, and ft workshops begin throughout B the summer. Classes Now! Check Our Website. http://uosummer.uoregon.edu The 2005 UO Summer Session Catalog is here! Book Your Summer in Oregon Read it online, or pick up a free copy today in the Summer Session office, 333 Oregon Hall, or at the UO Bookstore Telephone (541) 346-3475 o UNIVERSITY OF OREGON The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Scoring airlines JetBlue and other small commercial airliners ranked highest in quality, according to a recent survey. RANK AIRLINE SCORE 1 JetBlue -0.59 2 AirTran -0.76 3 Southwest -0.90 4 United -1.09 5 Alaska -1.11 6 America West -1.19 7 Northwest -1.24 8 American -1.30 9 Continental -1.31 10 ATA -1.50 11 Delta -1.54 12 US Airways -1.55 13 American Eagle -2.26 14 Sky West -2.46 15 Comair -3.27 16 Atlantic Southeast -4.10 NOTE: Scoring is a formula factoring in Transportation Department statistics for on-time flights, denied boarding, mishandled baggage and customer complaints. A zero score is best. SOURCES: University of Nebraska; AP Wichita State University Premier Travel • Airfare Specials! • Orlando - $198.00*' New York - $198.00*, San Jose, C R - $237.00* Tokyo - $498.00*' ia\ and tecs not .included, restrictions apply Subject to change w ithout notice. Eurail Passes issued On-Site!!! h-mail: faresftt/ Iuv2travel.com 1011 Harlow |747-0909 |Student Travel ExpePts SPAGHETTI Every Tuesday PIZZA PETE’S 2506 Willakenzie 344-0998 Oicic p/a7a 2673 Willamette 484-0996 27th and Willamette FUJICOLOR Ip H 0 C E 5 S I t B. I II c l PHOTO SPECIALS April 4 - April 10 REPRINTS AND ENLARGEMENTS From full-frame, 35mm color negatives. 3x5 6 for 96<t 4x6 5 for $1.00 5x7 2 for $1.50 8x10 1 for $1.50 8x12 1 for $1.50 Please allow up to 3-5 working days for 3x5 and 4x6 prints, 5-10 working days for 5x7, 8x10 and 8x12 prints. UOBookstore.com UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BOOKSTORE
