Media Advisory

National Airline Quality Rating to be announced April 6

Researchers will reveal industry's dramatic turn, passenger concerns

 

 

WASHINGTON — The airline industry took a dramatic turn in 2008, according to the 19th annual national Airline Quality Rating. ( http://www.AQR.aero )

 

The complete results of the latest quality ratings for the nation's 17 largest airlines will be revealed at 9:30 a.m. EDT, Monday, April 6, during a news
            conference at the National Press Club, Holeman Lounge, in Washington, D.C.

 

Based on arrival times, denied boardings, mishandled baggage and customer complaints, the Airline Quality Rating is the nation's most comprehensive study of
            airline performance and quality. No other study in the country is based on performance measures like the AQR. Data comes directly from U.S. Department of
            Transportation reports.

 

For nearly two decades, respected researchers Brent Bowen, a top aviation expert from Saint Louis University, and Dean Headley, a leading business analyst
            from Wichita State University, have co-authored the report, which is highly sought after by the media and public alike.

 

As part of their exhaustive research, Bowen and Headley also conducted opinion surveys of more than 5,000 frequent travelers who candidly responded to
            questions that relate directly to the factors that drive the AQR.

 

      The latest AQR findings cover the 2008 calendar year for the following airlines: AirTran, Alaska, American, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, Comair,
            Continental, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, Jet Blue, Mesa, Northwest, SkyWest, Southwest, United and U.S. Airways. The report also breaks down how the
            airlines compare to each other and the overall industry.
 

      During the news conference, Bowen and Headley will detail the airlines' dramatic turn, which comes on the heels of the industry's worst year in the history of
            the report. The researchers also will share the top consumer complaints of 2008.

 

      In addition, they will be able to address the following important questions and more.

 

• What do the rankings mean to average passengers?

• What's next for the airlines as they — and the nation — grapple with tough economic times?

• What about the Obama administration's plans to spend more on aviation infrastructure?

 

An electronic version of the full report will be available to reporters and the general public after 9:30 a.m. (EDT) Monday, April 6, on the official Airline
            Quality Rating Web site: http://www.AQR.aero.

 About the report's authors:  Brent Bowen, Ed.D., is chairman of the aviation science department at Saint Louis University's Parks College of Engineering,
             Aviation and Technology. Dean Headley, Ph.D., is a professor of marketing at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University.

 

 

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