A LONGITUDINAL EXAMINATION OF AIR CARRIER PERFORMANCE DURING 2007 THROUGH 2011

摘要

The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was first announced in the early 1990s as an objectivemechanism for measuring airline service performance based on multiple selected criterionsimportant to air travel consumers. Since then;;the AQR results have been available to assist thegovernment in decision-making as well as to help airlines identify service gaps. The nationalAQR reports use weighted averages and monthly performance data in the areas of on-timearrivals;;involuntary denied boardings;;mishandled baggage;;and a combination category ofcustomer complaints from which major airline comparative performance is reported. In order tofurther strengthen the significance of the AQR results and prepare the comparison of majorairlines’ service for aviation enthusiasts (both airline managers and the flying public);;this paperrevisited AQR data sets and reanalyzed five previous reports (2008;;2009;;2010;;2011 and 2012).Benchmarking techniques are utilized to assess airlines’ AQR performance and track thecomparative service quality for major U.S. airlines’ domestic operations. Based on thebenchmarked outcomes;;an airline’s operational deficiencies can be reviewed;;whichsimultaneously opens a window for service improvement and for public review.