Should you fly with a carrier that scored lower on the Airline Quality Rating report?

I recently did several interviews about the annual Airline Quality Rating, which ranks the nine major U.S. airlines from best to worst. Since then I’ve been getting questions from folks who wonder if they should fly lower-ranked carriers.

Here’s what fliers need to know, but first things first:

Which airlines are ranked highest and lowest?

All airline evaluations were made on the basis of 2018 performance, and Delta came out slightly ahead of the pack.

1. Delta
2. JetBlue
3. Southwest
4. Alaska
5. Hawaiian
6. United
7. Spirit
8. American
9. Frontier

Who came up with the Airline Quality Rating list?

It’s an ongoing ratings system published each year by two professors, Dr. Brent Bowen with Arizona’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Dr. Dean Headley of Wichita State University in Kansas. This is the 29th annual report.

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What criteria is used to determine an airline’s rank?

Four main areas: On-time performance, denied boardings (involuntary bumpings), mishandled baggage (missing or lost luggage) and customer complaints. And all of this information is gleaned from Department of Transportation data, which is published monthly.

So if I want to get somewhere on time, this list tells me which airline to choose?

Not necessarily. Hawaiian topped the list for best on-time performance, but it does a lot of flying in Hawaii — and weather delays like snowstorms are pretty rare there. United had the worst on-time record in this report, but the carrier ran into a lot of bad storms last year. Bottom line? There are some things airlines can’t get around, like weather, mechanical problems, or even airplane groundings such as those involving 737 MAX 8 planes this spring.

What about the complaint category. Did lots of people have gripes?

Not too many, really. The overall average number of complaints per month last year was a little over one complaint per 100,000 passengers. Not bad, huh? But this data only includes gripes formally filed with the Department of Transportation; it does not include complaints posted to social media, and these days, that’s where people go to vent. (Tip: Most airlines react quickly to concerns seen on social media. If you run into problems, start there.)

What does this report tell us about lost baggage?

It tells us the airlines are improving. We’ve actually seen steady improvement in this area for years. Plus, even the airline with the worst baggage record – American – only mishandled an average of less than four bags per 1,000 passengers each month. Will airlines continue to lose bags? Of course, but travelers are generally reunited with their suitcases within hours, or at worst, within a day or two. It’s a rare bag that is gone for good.

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Should I use this report as a guide when choosing airlines?

Let’s say that safety is a given (and air travel is still “the safest mode of transportation in the world” according to the 60,000-member Air Line Pilots Association). So, you could use the Airline Quality Rating as a general guide, but first, ask yourself these three questions about carriers you’re interested in:

• Does the airline go where I need it to fly?
• Does it offer tickets I can afford?
• If my flight is even a little bit late, will my trip be ruined?

You’ll find the answers to the first and second question by using an airfare comparison site (there are several out there). If flying in the U.S., also go to Southwest’s website, because it’s the one airline that does not share its fare info. And if you want to save even more and your travel dates are flexible, use a deal-finding tool that zeroes in on the best prices in a month or season.

Now, to answer the third question, the chances of having an on-time flight on any of the airlines in questions is good, but what if your flight is late? Stuff happens no matter what airline you fly, and whenever there’s a problem, your best bet is to get in touch with the airline immediately, whether that means standing in line for a rep at the gate, getting on the phone, or contacting the carrier via social media.

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Finally, you’ll rarely have to worry about a late flight ruining a trip if you always give yourself plenty of time. When you book, schedule plenty of time to make a connection, and schedule plenty of time to make a morning event, even if it means flying in the night before. Most flights do arrive and depart on time, but don’t make the mistake of assuming that will happen every time.