Three Straight Years as America's Most Punctual Carrier
#1 in Baggage Handling for Six Straight Months
Best Record for Fewest Consumer Complaints
HONOLULU, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Airlines recorded the nation's best performance for service to travelers in October, ranking as the #1 carrier for punctuality, best baggage handling and fewest consumer complaints. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today issued its monthly Air Travel Consumer Report showing Hawaiian atop four of the major service categories for October. (Oversales are reported quarterly; Hawaiian was tops in this category for the third quarter.)
In the process, Hawaiian extended its remarkable streaks of being
America's #1 on-time carrier for the 36th consecutive month, and for being the
top-rated airline at taking care of customers' luggage for the sixth straight
month.
Rank On-Time Baggage Fewest Fewest
Service Handling Oversales(1) Complaints
1 HAWAIIAN HAWAIIAN HAWAIIAN HAWAIIAN
2 Aloha JetBlue AirTran ExpressJet
3 Frontier AirTran JetBlue Southwest
4 Southwest Alaska Aloha Frontier
5 Alaska Northwest Frontier Aloha
(1) Reported quarterly by DOT. Reflects third quarter 2006.
Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and CEO, noted, "With hard work, focus and a bit of luck, any airline can come in first in any one of these categories on any given month. But to be an industry leader in each of these categories month in and month out is the real test of achievement. Thirty-six months in a row as the punctuality leader, six months in a row as the baggage delivery leader and now having both the fewest oversales and least complaints at the same time is a track record unmatched by any airline. The credit goes to our employees. Their caring is what sets Hawaiian apart."
Hawaiian continued its unbroken streak as the nation's most punctual airline for three full years, with 91.6 percent of its flights arrive as scheduled during October -- exceeding the industry average by 18.7 percent. (To meet DOT standards, a flight must arrive within 15 minutes of schedule to be considered on time.).
October also reaffirmed Hawaiian's excellence at handling customers' luggage, with an industry-best score of 3.31 mishandled baggage reports for every 1,000 passengers served. The #1 ranking marked the sixth consecutive month since May and eighth month overall this year that Hawaiian has ranked as the nation's best airline for baggage handling.
In addition, Hawaiian was the top-ranked airline for fewest consumer complaints during October, with a score of 0.19 percent for every 100,000 passengers. Hawaiian was the subject of only one complaint to the DOT compared to the 524,000 passengers the airline served.
Hawaiian ranked 11th nationally in fewest cancelled flights during October, with a score of 1.7 percent that reflected 75 cancellations out of 4,545 total flights. The unusual number of flight cancellations for the month was due primarily to the October 15 earthquake and resulting power failure that day at the airline's operational hub in Honolulu.
Hawaiian started voluntarily reporting its service performance to the DOT in November 2003, highlighted by the nation's #1 ranking for on-time performance. Since then Hawaiian has held the nation's top spot for punctuality in every month, while also scoring consistently high rankings in the other service categories measured by DOT.
The DOT report covers 20 airlines, including 10 carriers providing service for Hawaii. The full report is available online at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/atcr06.htm.
About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian was the nation's number one carrier for on-time service, fewest flight cancellations and best baggage service reliability in 2005, according to reports by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer travel surveys conducted by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Zagat all rank Hawaiian as the top domestic airline serving Hawaii.
Now in its 78th year of continuous service in Hawaii, Hawaiian is the state's biggest and longest-serving airline, and the second largest provider of passenger air service between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities than any other airline (nine), as well as service to Australia, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 100 daily jet flights among the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (Amex: HA; PCX). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com.
SOURCE Hawaiian Airlines
CONTACT: Keoni Wagner of Hawaiian Airlines, +1-808-838-6778,
Keoni.Wagner@hawaiianair.com