Airline Ratings Show Improvements

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - The airline quality ratings are in, and the industry passes with flying colors. The industry pulled off its highest score since 2004, but experts say it's not time to celebrate just yet.

The ratings, based on analysis from the U.S. Department of Transportation data, scores air carriers on customer service performance. Each air carrier gets marks for on-time performance, baggage handling, denied boardings and customer complaints.

At the top of the class: Hawaiian Airlines, with low-cost carriers AirTran and JetBlue rounding out the top three. Northwest Airlines placed fourth out of the top 17 major U.S. airlines. Regional carriers were at the bottom, with the worst rating going to Delta affiliate Atlantic Southeast Airlines.

Fewer passengers took to the air in 2008 due to an ailing economy, but those who did fly saw improvements. Flights arrived on time more often and fewer bags were lost. Still, experts say a decreasing number of air travelers will continue to plague the industry.

"The ridership is going to be difficult," said Dean Headley, assistant professor of marketing at Wichita State University. "Airlines have been trying to adjust that through their use of capacity reductions. So what are we going to see is fewer seats, higher prices and less access to some of the places that people want to fly."

Experts say now is the time to make improvements, like building more runways and bringing in new technology, to help keep the airline industry soaring for years to come.