May 11, 1999
Web posted at: 5:18 p.m. EDT (2118 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Continental Airlines and TWA have taken top honors in the latest survey of airline service in the United States.

For the seventh year, Frequent Flyer magazine and J.D. Power and Associates rated travelers' experiences with major U.S. carriers. The results were announced Tuesday in the Domestic Airline Customer Satisfaction Study.

Continental received high ratings for "long-haul" flights, with trips of 500 miles or more. Survey respondents praised the airline for on-time performance, the airport check-in process, food quality and service and flight attendants' courtesy. According to travelers, TWA nearly matched Continental in long-haul performance, and American earned above average marks in this area.

TWA received top marks in the "short-haul" flight category, with trips less than 500 miles. Respondents said the carrier rated high for airport check-in, flight availability and schedules, seat comfort and its frequent flyer program. Southwest came in second in this category, followed by Continental. Delta tied for third. American West and US Airways also rated above average for short-haul flights.

Continental rose to the top position in long-haul flights from second place last year, knocking TWA down from first place last year to second place.

In the short-haul category, TWA came out on top from second place a year ago, replacing America West, last year's winner.

Steve Cohen of J.D. Power and Associates said customer satisfaction is lowest with airlines, with flyers reporting more than three times the number of problems with carriers than with hotels.

"This year, in-flight activities such as on-time performance, the accessibility and courtesy of flight attendants and food quality and service have taken on greater importance to satisfaction than in previous years," Cohen said.

The most common problems reported are related to on-time performance, seats, carry-on luggage space, food service, and post-flight baggage delivery.

Karen Goodwin, editor of Frequent Flyer magazine, said because airlines now operate with more than 70 percent of their seats occupied, making flights more crowded than they have been in decades, "it becomes even more important for airline customers to have some measure of passenger satisfaction from one airline to another."

The Frequent Flyer magazine/J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Domestic Airline Customer Satisfaction Study is based on 6,520 flight evaluations from a national sample of frequent flyers who average 27 U.S. round-trip flights a year.

But this is just one of many airline surveys released annually. Last month, researchers at Wichita State University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha rated 10 major U.S. carriers on the basis of consumer satisfaction, awarding USAirways top honors.

In February, more than 82,000 frequent travelers and InsideFlyer magazine readers said Continental has the best airline frequent flyer program in the 11th annual "Freddie Awards."

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