Frequent Travelers Rate Delta No. 1 Airline in U.S.

A survey by marketing advisers J.D. Power & Associates put Delta Air Lines at the top of the major U.S. carriers in terms of customer satisfaction among frequent travelers.

The survey, which asked about on-time performance, flight attendants, scheduling and other factors, polled nearly 3,000 fliers who averaged 25 round trips per year.

Delta was ranked first among travelers who have taken both long and short domestic flights and sat in both first class and coach.

American and United airlines were second and third, while America West, Northwest and TWA tied for fourth. USAir, Southwest and Continental were at the bottom of the list.

Only the nine major U.S. airlines were part of the survey.

Fares were not a major factor among those polled, who were typically business travelers not paying for their own tickets.