(AQR: Washington) -- Air Tran has taken the top spot in the 18th annual national Airline Quality Rating study. Last year, Air Tran ranked third in the AQR. Following Air Tran in the top five of the AQR were Jet Blue, Southwest, Northwest, and Frontier. As for the overall rating for the industry, this is the worst AQR score ever, according to the AQR researchers. The second-worst was for calendar year 2000. There are similarities between 2000 and 2007, specifically:

• During 2000 and 2007 there was talk of the United States heading into a recession.
• The airlines were making money after an unprofitable period.
• Demand for air travel was strong.

The AQR is a summary of month-by-month quality ratings for the largest domestic U.S. airlines operating during 2007. Co-researchers Brent Bowen, professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute, School of Public Administration, and Dean Headley, associate professor and chair of marketing at Wichita State University, used 15 elements important to consumers when judging the quality of airline service.

Air Tran gained ground in the industry and in the ratings because of superior baggage handling. Taken as an entire industry, the airlines declined in all areas of performance. “I don’t expect to see better airline performance in the near future. There’s no incentive,” Headley says. “The airlines are losing money. Fuel prices are high. They’re cutting back on services.

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