Airline Performance – Best and Worst Airlines of 2008

It’s been a tough year for travel – some airlines have had to struggle to stay afloat, and may have not done so well keeping customers happy.  Overall, though, the airlines actually improved their services from 2007.

I’m sure you’ve gotten your two cents in by filing complaints, filling out comment cards or even recommending certain airlines to friends – those comments are factored into these ratings, as are on-time flights (a positive) denied boardings, and lost luggage.

One of the best overall budget airlines was Southwest. They received the least amount of complaints from their customers, and they had one of the highest percentage of flights arriving on time.  Jetblue also ranked relatively high – they had a lower ranking regarding on-time flights, but they lost a small percentage of luggage, and had few customer complaints.

A surprising statistic was Hawaiian Airlines, which was the best in all categories! 90% of their flights arrived on time in 2008.

While Northwest Airlines improved in almost every category (and still offers incredibly cheap flights!) Delta, another industry giant, couldn’t improve their numbers.

On-time Flights

Best: Hawaiian Airlines

Worst: American Airlines

Complaints

Best: Southwest Airlines

Worst: Delta

Lost Luggage

Best: AirTran

Worst: American Eagle

Do you have any airline horror stories?

Adena/tripwolf