Ranking the Airlines

From on-time flights to lost bags, new airline quality survey shows who's hot and who's not

A delayed flight or lost bag can really put a damper on travel. To keep airlines accountable and passengers informed, the Airline Quality Index outlines the best and worst flying experiences. For the second year in a row, Virgin America earned the index's No. 1 ranking.

Using weighted data for on-time flights, overbooked passengers, lost bags and complaints, the Airline Quality Index has been compiled annually since 1991. This year, however, marked an important milestone.

"The Airline Quality Rating score for 2013 was the best industry score for all of the 23-year history," the researchers said.

"Southwest shows poorer performance for 2013 and was the only airline to show decline in all four areas rated," the researchers said.

While the overall ratings improved, two key areas declined for the airline industry as a whole: on-time arrival percentage and lost bags. On the plus side, overbooked flights and customer complaints decreased from 2012 to 2013.

Virgin America's top ranking is credited to on-time flights (82 percent) and a rate of less than one lost bag per 1,000 passengers. The industry average for lost bags is more than three times higher than Virgin America's figure. Virgin's customer complaint rate, however, is higher than most of its competitors.

Virgin hopes to secure two new gates at Dallas Love Field in October, when American Airlines merges with US Airways. The timing coincides with the expiration of the Wright Amendment, which restricted flights from Love Field since 1979.

Jet Blue earned second place on the index, buoyed by the lowest customer complaint and overbooked flight rates of all airlines. On-time flights are the weak link at Jet Blue, where only 74 percent of planes take off as scheduled.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines came in at No. 8, just behind US Airways and a slot ahead of neighboring American Airlines. Southwest has been on the decline since 2007, when it earned a No. 3 ranking on the index. Since then, it has dropped from the fifth, sixth and seventh slots.

Southwest's on-time flights decreased from 83 percent in 2012 to 77 percent in 2013; its lost bags, customer complaints and overbooked flights all increased from last year.

"Overall, Southwest shows poorer performance for 2013 and was the only airline to show decline in all four areas rated," the researchers said.

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Downtown News

Dallas convention center re-do will shut down DART stop for 3 years

Courtesy photo

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is about to shut down its stop at the Convention Center Station for the next three years.

The agency is being forced to close the station to accommodate the city of Dallas' construction and redevelopment of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. As part of the project, the station will be closed for the duration of construction, which is currently estimated at three years.

The Convention Center Station is a stop on both the Red and Blue lines, and the shutdown will affect anyone traveling to or from southwest Dallas. North Dallas, Plano, Rowlett, and Carrollton will thankfully be spared.

Rail detours
Riders who previously used the Convention Center Station will be directed to nearby alternative stations at Cedars or EBJ Union. DART has prepared clear signage, rider alerts, and bus connections to support customers and make navigating the closure as easy as possible.

Bus detours
Routes 28 and 106 will maintain regular service outside of downtown. Within downtown, instead of taking Lamar to the Convention Center, the bus will turn left on Young Street, right on Akard Street, right on Marilla Street where the Akard and Marilla bus stop is located (stop number 20685).

Outbound, routes 28 and 106 will turn left on Young Street, right on Lamar Street and then proceed on their regular route.

Layover at Akard and Marilla: Passengers deboard at Cedars Station and take the special South Dallas GoLink to bus stops at Akard and Marilla or to EBJ Union Station.

Route 224 will operate a detour going inbound. Inbound trips will come downtown via Elm and continue to Houston, turn left on Commerce and continue to Harwood. It will then turn left to go to the East Transfer Center where it will layover. Outbound trips will originate from the East Transfer Center and operate a regular route out of downtown.

Layover at East Transfer Center

Passengers arriving by train can deboard at Convention Center Station to board route 224.
Another option for passengers is to deboard at Akard Station, then board 224 at Elm and Akard.

Route 383 East Transfer Center is your final stop. 383 will not continue past this station. This route will be discontinued on February 02, 2026.

DART will implement a new GoLink Zone for Convention Center Station customers that will only provide service for trips originating at EBJ Union Station, Cedars Station, or the substitute bus layover location on Akard and Marilla and terminating at one of those locations.

The service will operate 7 days a week, from 5 am to midnight. Customers using this GoLink Zone may only travel between these three designated points.

All changes will be reflected online and in the GoPass app for the duration of construction.

downtown transportation