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America's Meanest Airlines
2011's Airline Quality Report came out this month, which means that it's time to distill out the industry leaders in a variety of categories, from on-time departures to lost bags to general happiness among passengers. Reporting on the best of the best is only half as fun as vilifying the worst though, so Yahoo and US News took the liberty of sorting out the worst performers in each category and hanging their decapitated bodies in the public square for everyone to shame. Among the losers this year:Meanest major carrier: United Airlines
Meanest regional carrier: American Eagle
Most complained about airline: Delta Air Lines
Most likely to be unsafe: Jetblue
Most likely to overcharge for bags: Delta / US Airways / Continental
Most likely to bump you: American Eagle
Most likely to be late: Comair
Most likely to mishandle your bag: American Eagle
Daunting stuff, right? Maybe. Bear in mind, that the AQR samples a limited data set over a limited market, and that the term "worst" doesn't necessarily mean that service is bad. American Eagle, for example, mishandles 7.15 bags for every thousand that go through its hands. The best carrier? Air Tran at 1.63 per thousand. That's 1 drop in the bucket versus 1.0002 drops in the bucket.
Our suggestion? If you really want to figure out why each airline performed the worst in its own category then download the AQR yourself and flip through the data. It's the only way you can get an accurate gauge of quality.
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 10)
Lisa Apr 11th 2011 3:52PM
Best Customer Service...NOT!!
I had a ticket purchased home to Louisiana for Thanksgiving 2005 on Southwest and one for Christmas on American Airlines. I had gotten them both for good fares. Then gas prices soared. Then Katrina happened. Southwest cancelled ALL of their flights from August through January. Once they started flying back into Louisiana (in Sept-Oct of that year), they refused to "honor" my ticket and said I'd have to rebook the ticket (now at a much higher price, of course). They also refused to fly me into other airports (e.g., Jackson MS, Houston TX) or put me on another carrier. They gave me a credit for the fare that I had purchased (after I had to fight and fight for it)! I haven't flown with them since and never will!
In contrast, AA sent out a letter not long after the Hurricane and said that they will honor their tickets, and if they can't get a passenger into New Orleans (which they did end up keeping that flight), not to worry that they would fly anyone into another airport of their choice, or get us a ticket on another airline that was flying into New Orleans. Basically, they SERVED THEIR CUSTOMER!
Moral of story...Southwest only appears to have customer service until a customer needs service...then it is nowhere to be found. The big guys like AA actually have customer service. I firmly believe Southwest took advantage of the situation and saw an opportunity to cancel flights that people had at a low rate and force them to re-book at a much higher rate...scumbags!
Martha Apr 11th 2011 4:29PM
Also, their planes come apart during flight because of poor maintenance.
Jack Apr 11th 2011 4:38PM
Southwest is INFAMOUS for overbooking people.
Kent Apr 11th 2011 4:52PM
Because they don't do anything for their road warriors. I have lifetime gold status on AA, because I logged a million miles. I get to used first class check-in on domestic flights. I get to use the elite security line. I get to board ahead of all other coach passengers. I also have a private reservations number, so if a flight is delayed or cancelled, I can call getting stuck on hold with the main number.
Oh, and I get upgraded to first class.
Kent Apr 11th 2011 4:52PM
I would argue that Southwest's safety record is acutally good. They've had only one fatal accident during the airline's existance. They don't farm out maintenance to "iffy" repair facilities.
When they grounded the 737-300 fleet, that was an internal decision and not one suggested by Boeing or demanded by the FAA. Other carriers may have kept planes flying until the sevice bulletin was issued.
And while Southwest did ground 70+ 737-300s, remember that AA once had to ground its entire MD-80 fleet (nearly 270 aicraft), because one FAA inspector decided that another one had made a mistake in approving a mandated repair.
J.E.B. Apr 11th 2011 5:54PM
Southwest has the best safety record? You forgot about that "sun-roof" that opened up in the top of one aircraft a couple weks ago. How safe is that at 33,000 feet?
karen Apr 11th 2011 6:29PM
Ummm...they have the dirtiest airplanes I have ever been on. The Greyhound of the skies.
morning Alisha Apr 11th 2011 8:00PM
I won't fly Southwest because they will not reserve seats. I do not want to stand in line for hours in order to get a good seat. It only takes 5 minutes for a ticket person to reserve a seat. I wrote to Southwest about reserving seats and was told that it was never done and they would not change that policy. How stupid to have everything carved in stone.
Sally Apr 11th 2011 8:01PM
Southwest doesn't fly everywhere...you can't get to Europe or Asia on Southwest and many other places...but Southwest is great for flying up and down the west coast... and I do it often.
Sherry Apr 11th 2011 8:09PM
Southwest is by far the absolute best airline. 2 bags fly FREE. Fun attendants. On time 99% of the time. And, if you have to change a flight...NO huge penalty, only the difference in the cost of original ticket. I got a refund twice because my changed ticket was cheaper. They are not out to gouge their passengers. Southwest and I are doing life!!!!!!
Rhane Apr 12th 2011 9:37AM
I believe some of you need reminding that Boeing manufactures the airplane that ripped open, NOT Southwest.
sk Apr 12th 2011 11:16AM
Best Safety records? Right....were do you get your information? They were fined millions in 06 for stress cracks and oh yeah last week a big hole blew out of the plane at 37,000 ft. These planes are not safe. They don't charge anything for seats how do you think they make up for this? Their maintenance sucks! Their time is coming and somehow I think it will be soon.
don Apr 11th 2011 2:19PM
these so called surveys are USELESS........fly who you want....drive what you want...eat what you want.....sleep with who you want.....buy what you want....see what you want.....everybody has their opinion...and that is exactly what it is...THIER's.....
It was good to see that not alot of people started in on the .....United did this...Delta did that...and oh god...American...dont get me started....
Peace
JP Saleeby Apr 11th 2011 2:41PM
Today is a customer service driven world... come on guys... get it together!
chuck Apr 11th 2011 2:41PM
Bought tickets to visit our son on U S Airways. Found out the next day that Our son was unable to have us visit his family due to his illness. Now I have two tickets that will cost me $150 each to use on another flight plus any charge to equal the current price at that time. Two elderly parents on fixed income cannot afford the charges. Another airline offers the flights cheaper than the upgraded prices for the tickets, plus they will refund ticket cost for senior citizens. who are unable to take their flight for any reason. Go figure.
Kmark Apr 11th 2011 2:36PM
What is meant by Jet blue being the most unsafe? I look thru the AQR and there was no clear mention of how this was determined. Should not make a statement like that without an explanation. Irresponsible you.
hmilorjr Apr 11th 2011 2:34PM
I totally agree United airlines has done more to destroy the airline industry than all the others combined, they are the one who started treating paying customers like cattle!!!
84ebro Apr 11th 2011 2:37PM
In case anybody has forgotten... 9/11...? remember that? United Airline and American Airlines have taken so much crap since. Can you imagine the "fallout" from having YOUR planes flown into AMERICAN buildings and changing the UNITED states forever. Instead of POO-POOING them and finger pointing... lets give them some ENCOURAGEMENT rather than encrapment. peace out.
Willow Apr 11th 2011 5:40PM
well it is kind of their fault if u think about it, i mean if two TERRIOST (sorry cant spell) jumped on ur plane and ruined a huge US monument and killed a bunch of people, that obviously means something is wrong with your security! i mean they had to have been acting suspicious or something, right? exactly. however, i do support them in getting better security.
84ebro Apr 11th 2011 6:22PM
I agree with the security part... I won't start a 9/11 debate though haha... Best not to get into that one. However, take away the blame game for a minute... I'll start with George Bush.
I hated the way that our media let news channels and "activists" slander his name with the infamous video footage of him sitting in a classroom full of kids and "doing nothing"... "taking, no action".
Well, imagine being the leader of a country, Your Nation, and being in a classroom full of kids. Then someone whispers into your ear, the most horrible news imaginable... I'd prob be in shock, and then I'd be in even more shock upon receipt of another whisper that the situation got even worse.
Like, wtf, would people have rather seen him jump out of his seat, yelling and screaming, and terrifying a bunch of kids. AND THEN when we finally do UP security at airports WE COMPLAIN, blah blah blah The lines are too long....mlah mlah blah bla I'm on the No Fly List, blah blah blah you can see me naked at the security scanners. JCMB america! Our country has gotten so spoiled and become so blinded by their right to security. Ya we do have the right to privacy, but if we are to fly in a group, then I wanna make sure that the other jerks I'm flying with aren't d-bags.
SOOOOOOOO many Presidents have tried to get the American people UP off their lazy asses... But no no no...we'd rather just sit on our couches and complain. Obama said YES WE CAN and not YES I CAN. It takes 2 to tango, and an entire group to have a dance party. Ask NOT what your country can DO for you ASK what YOU CAN DO for your country.
Lastly, the fact that we can EVEN FLY is awesome. What if our leaders were like "well if we wanna avoid another 9/11 then let's not fly at all". Flight is a privilege. And for those of you who bad mouth flight crews... Don't be a jerk to these people, they are just doing their jobs. They don't make the food, they don't personally go to the grocery store to make your meals, they don't decide the rule to "put your seat up before takeoff and landings, or to turn off your cell phones"
Wake up Americans... Stop your whining, get UP, and do something about it. Peace
Merica!