Continental Rises From Bottom to Top in Survey

In a dramatic turnaround from last year, Continental Airlines was named the best carrier of the nine industry majors by frequent U.S. domestic travelers for flights of more than 500 miles, according to survey results released Tuesday. Northwest Airlines heads the list for shorter flights.

The annual survey by marketing information firm J.D. Power & Associates and Frequent Flyer magazine said travelers cited Continental, which placed last on the 1995 list, for its improvement in on-time performance.

Among the factors driving satisfaction among frequent travelers, on-time performance was given nearly twice the weight of last year, said Paula Sonkin of Agoura Hills-based J.D. Power. Other important factors are scheduling, flight accommodations and seating comfort.

The survey ranks the nine major U.S. carriers for both long and short flights. Long flights are 500 miles or more; short flights are less than 500 miles. The study is based on a nationally representative sample that includes more than 7,000 evaluations by frequent fliers who average more than 25 U.S. round-trips a year.

The survey results show the airlines exhibit various strengths. Among them:

* Continental’s dramatic rise from the bottom of last year’s study was primarily due to improvements in on-time performance. Other strengths include the availability of seats on desired flights, ability to get seat preferences and priority boarding. Continental was also praised for what it offers in its frequent-flier program.

* Northwest received above-average scores in categories most important to customers, particularly on-time performance and the ability to get flight class preference.

* American received high marks for the condition of its fleet.

* TWA ranked high in seating comfort and food service.

* United received strong scores in fleet condition, food service and flight accommodations.

* Southwest’s strengths were in on-time performance and the quality of its flight attendants and airport services.

* USAir, although ranking below the industry average for the survey overall, made a significant improvement from last year, particularly in frequent-flier programs.

* Delta continued to rank above the industry average for a variety of factors, but its low ranking for on-time performance seriously affected its overall score this year.

* America West performed well among passengers taking short flights and showed strength in on-time performance and frequent-flier programs.