Conclusion
Air travelers who have endured lost bags, delayed flights, long hours on the tarmac without proper food and water, lousy service and getting bumped from full planes might be in for some relief. According to our 2007 - 2011 analysis of data from the DOT, flying is getting better, when measured by the benchmarks used in this study. Industry performance for all four measurements was better in 2011 compared the four previous years. With higher fuel costs, airfares are trending up, although increases vary significantly depending on whether the passenger is flying between major airports or is heading to or from a small or medium-size airport. The ratings are based on data submitted to the Department of Transportation by the 14 airlines that carried the most passengers domestically last year. In judging quality of performance, low-cost carriers that mainly fly between large hubs tend to fare the best, the legacy airlines that have been around since before airline deregulation in the early 1980s tend to fall in the middle. Regional airlines, which often fly smaller planes that have more difficulty avoiding storms, generally pull up the rear.