US passengers pick best airlines

The last flight from Sydney will be on May 5, although Virgin will continue to operate its Hong Kong-London segment.

The last flight from Sydney will be on May 5, although Virgin will continue to operate its Hong Kong-London segment.

Published Apr 22, 2013

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New York - Virgin America did the best job of flying customers last year while United Airlines was the worst, though passengers experienced overall better performance, a study showed.

Performance of the 14 leading carriers last year was about the same as the best year in 2011, according to the 23rd annual national Airline Quality Rating (AQR). It ranks airlines based on US Department of Transportation figures.

The industry improved in two of four areas: on-time performance and baggage handling. Involuntary denied boardings and customer complaint rates were higher, the study said.

Virgin America had the best baggage handling rate, 0.87 mishandled bags per 1 000 passengers, and American Eagle had the worst, at 5.80 mishandled bags per 1 000 passengers.

Hawaiian Airlines was best at sticking to schedules, while ExpressJet and American Airlines were the worst, the study showed. - Sunday Tribune

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