Southwest Is First in Airline Quality Survey : Consumers: The Dallas-based carrier passes American in performance rankings. TWA shows the greatest improvement.

Southwest Airlines surpassed American Airlines to become the No. 1 major carrier in overall quality during 1993, according to a study released Monday.

“It’s not so much that American performed worse,” said Brent Bowen, director of the Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “It’s just that Southwest performed better.”

Southwest’s ranking bodes well for its entrance into Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, where it will begin operating 17 flights a day starting May 26. The arrival has been long awaited because of the carrier’s reputation for low fares.

Southwest will fly to Oakland and San Jose, with connecting flights to the Pacific Northwest. American Airlines already has announced it will match Southwest’s $69 every-day and $49 discount fares to San Jose, and Alaska Airlines is weighing whether to match the same fares to Oakland.

The fourth annual study, a joint effort between the Nebraska researchers and the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University in Kansas, found that total airline quality dropped slightly in 1993 from the year before.

“Even though (quality) scores continued a downward trend, they do reflect a more stable industry over the past 12 months,” said Dean Headley, faculty research associate at the Wichita State institute.

The research ranked nine airlines with annual operating revenue of $1 billion or more on 19 factors, including on-time performance, baggage handling, how often people are “bumped” from flights, fares and frequent-flier programs. The factors are weighted based on customers’ comments on what is most important to them.

Southwest came out on top in baggage handling, on-time performance and frequency of low fares, the researchers said.

“Southwest is noted by many airline observers as the nation’s model air carrier,” Bowen said.

Dallas-based Southwest, the nation’s seventh-largest carrier in terms of passengers, praised its 13,500 employees for the top ranking. The airline emphasizes direct flights from smaller airports instead of huge connecting hubs, as well as fewer in-flight services and lower fares.

American, based in nearby Ft. Worth, had been No. 1 for the first three years of the study. Spokesman Tim Smith said the airline’s mission is different than Southwest’s.

“There’s a significant difference,” Smith said. “Our service tends to be full-service, long-haul flights that are a little more traditional. I think both airlines do a good job.”

United Airlines drew the worst score for mishandled luggage, with an average in 1993 of almost 65 mishandled pieces per 10,000 passengers. The researchers attributed that in part to United’s hub system, which includes busy O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

American was tops in having the fewest passengers bumped, while Southwest had the worst figure. Headley said that was partly by design and is compensated for by the high frequency of available Southwest flights for bumped passengers.

The worst on-time performance belonged to Delta Air Lines, at 77%. The industrywide average is 82%.

TWA, whose main hub is St. Louis, showed the greatest overall improvement, rising to No. 7 from last place in 1992.

Times staff writer Chris Woodyard in Costa Mesa contributed to this report.