NEW YORK (CNN) -- For the third consecutive year, a study of airline quality found Southwest Airlines to be the country's number one carrier, handily topping nine other major airlines. And it was generally good news across the board for travelers, the study's authors said.

"For the industry, quality is up, more than it ever has been," said Dean Headley of Wichita State University's W. Frank Barton School of Business. "Since we've been doing this rating for the last seven years, this is the highest level of quality we've seen across the industry."

That's great. But what makes a quality airline?

The eighth annual survey bases its airline rankings on 19 separate criteria. Southwest, they say, is practically in a class all its own, although newcomer to the survey Alaska Airlines debuted in second place.

The researchers rank ten major U.S. airlines, defined as having $1 billion operating revenues over a 12-month period. Following the top two are Continental, American, United, Delta, Northwest, America West, TWA, and US Airways.

The 19 criteria used by the researchers to rate the airlines range from average age and number of aircraft to reports of mishandled baggage and other problems. All of the criteria have some importance to consumers and the data is obtainable from published data sources.

The research showed that despite a higher number of consumer complaints, the airlines in 1997 continued a quality improvement rise that began in 1994, and the most improved airline was Continental, which jumped from fifth place last year to third. America West and TWA were the second and third most improved.

While Delta showed improved ratings from 1997, the airline performed worse in on-time arrivals and involuntary denied boardings. Northwest was the only airline of the 10 to show a decrease in on-time performance over the past year, and it also slipped in baggage handling.

Southwest was best in on-time arrivals and had the fewest number of consumer complaints per passenger. America West, Northwest and American had the most complaints.

Study co-author Brent Bowen, director and professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Aviation Institute, pointed out that a lower AQR rating does not imply that an airline is unsafe.

"... Only that you are more likely to have a satisfactory experience on a higher ranked airline," he said. "Consumers appear more frustrated than ever with airline performance in general, and are seeking ways to minimize difficulty. Loyalty to an airline is being replaced by pursuit of satisfaction and convenience since flying on an airline for the average person is no longer a luxury."

The report made some general observations about the airline industry, many of which coincided with other reports. While noting that increased productivity and reduced costs have increased the industry's profitably, Bowen and Headley noted that "seemingly unfair practices ... which target smaller carriers" are limiting the consumer's ability to benefit from the industry's windfalls.

The report also chided the Federal Aviation Administration for its failure "to act on pressing needs," and called recent pushes by airlines to combine into larger carriers the result of a "misconception that they must be all things to all consumers."

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Related site:

• The 1998 Airline Quality Rating

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