7,000 AIR VIEWS IN SURVEY; CONTINENTAL, AMERICA WEST ARE FREQUENT FLIERS' FAVORITES.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer Continental Airlines and America West Airlines America West Airlines was one of the United States' ten major airlines. The airline was based in Tempe, Arizona, and is now a part of US Airways Group. At the time of its integration into US Airways, the airline maintained two hubs, one at Phoenix Sky Harbor International received the top frequent-flier ratings for U.S. carriers in long- and short-flight categories, respectively, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a survey released Wednesday. Continental won for the second straight year for flights of more than 500 miles, while America West replaced Northwest as the short-haul leader in the survey conducted by Frequent Flyer frequent flyer Hospital practice A popular term for a Pt who is regularly admitted to a particular ER or health care facility, for various reasons magazine and Agoura Hills-based J.D. Power and Associates. The survey drew responses from 7,000 frequent fliers frequent flier n. One who travels often by air, especially on one airline. fre  quent-fli , defined as those who average at least 25 trips
annually.
Paula Sonkin, an analyst with J.D. Power, said overall customer satisfaction has improved in recent years because airlines see it as a key factor in attracting and retaining market share. ``The competition is tougher because the more you give, the more the customers expect,'' she said. Sonkin noted that Continental and America West both went through bankruptcy reorganization during the early 1990s. ``Going through Chapter 11 helped those carriers address the issues most important to customers,'' she said. Joe Berman, an analyst with Avmark consulting-management services of Arlington, Va., agreed that airlines generally have improved performance in recent years as travelers' expectations grew. ``Flying is becoming an everyday thing,'' he said. ``The airlines are globalizing and offering better service, and it's agreeing with the public.'' Continental finished second in the short-haul category, followed by USAir in third, and Delta and Southwest tied for fourth. TWA TWA Time-weighted average, see there was the runner-up in long-haul flights, followed by United, with American and Southwest tied for fourth. The survey did not disclose the rankings of carriers with below-average scores. Continental rated highly in on-time performance, schedule and flight accommodations and airport check-in Airport Check-in are service counter found at commercial airports handling commercial air travel. The check-in is normally handled by an airline or a handling agent working on behalf of an airline. - the three most important categories in the survey. The Houston-based carrier also scored well in aircraft interior, frequent-flier programs, post-flight services and food services food services Hospital services A 24/7 department in a hospital that provides for the nutritional needs of inpatients–eg, those needing special diets, preparing meals and transporting them to the floor and, through the cafeteria, the hospital staff and . Phoenix-based America West scored above-average rankings in nine of the 10 categories surveyed with strong marks in on-time performance, schedule and flight accommodation, seating comfort and gate location. Berman said the carrier has fully recovered from expanding too quickly in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a strong focus on reliability and customer service. CAPTION(S): chart, photo Chart: Top carriers Photo: no caption (airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. ) |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion