Passengers prefer Hawaiian Air
Advertiser Staff
Hawaiian Airlines ranked well in a Consumer Reports reader survey of airlines that also gave Aloha Airlines a nod for solid service.
The consumer researchers released the survey in time for the summer travel season, noting that escalating airfares, crowded planes and dwindling amenities have travelers searching for help.
In its Quick Picks, the magazine rated as Best Buys "for the best combination of service and prices" these airlines: JetBlue, Southwest, Frontier and Hawaiian.
The survey described all four as "standouts for service and on-time performance" according to readers, and said they offered relatively low fares for their routes.
In the next tier of ratings, both Midwest and Aloha Airlines were recognized for "solid service but not necessarily a low fare." Midwest bakes chocolate chip cookies for passengers in-flight.
The magazine's latest reader survey ratings of 18 airlines also rated US Airways and America West Airlines, which recently merged, among the lowest-scoring airlines. The results appear in the "Best Airlines for Today's Busy Skies" article, in the July issue of Consumer Reports.
The survey found that smaller and newer airlines often treated customers better. Several of the top-rated carriers, including JetBlue, Midwest Airlines and Southwest Airlines, have made a focus on the consumer an integral part of their business strategy.
Some 23,000 Consumer Reports readers reported on their experiences on a total of 31,455 U.S. domestic flights in a survey conducted in early February by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. The survey questions covered check-in ease, seating comfort, on-time performance and in-flight service.
The researchers conducted a smaller, follow-up survey in April, soon after the highly publicized, weather-related woes of JetBlue in mid-February and USAirways in March, which left thousands of their passengers stranded and fuming.
The survey showed that JetBlue's blues had little effect on the airline's overall levels of satisfaction; it remained among the top-rated carriers in the second survey. But US Airways, which was already at the bottom of the ratings, fell another 10 points in the follow-up survey.
Travelers also assessed independent ticket-booking sites, such as Expedia.com, and reported little difference among the sites.
Based on the survey, Consumer Reports offers some tips for a pleasant flight at a good price, or at least increasing the odds:
The full report is available in the July 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, now available in stores. Portions of the story are available for free online at www .ConsumerReports.org.
In a separate report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday, Aloha Airlines nosed out Hawaiian Airlines for the best on-time performance in the airline industry in April.
According to the government report, 95.4 percent of Aloha's planes were on time in April, followed by Hawaiian Airlines, at 95.1 percent.
Hawaiian was tops in the industry for fewest mishandled baggage and fewest canceled flights, while Aloha led the nation with the least consumer complaints.
