Hawaiian Repeats as Nation's Top-Ranked Airline in Service Quality Study

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Apr 12, 2010, 12:12 ET

HONOLULU, April 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the second straight year and third year out of the past four, Hawaiian Airlines earned the nation's number one ranking for overall quality in 2009, according to the findings reported today in the 20th annual Airline Quality Rating (AQR) study.

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Hawaiian was also the top-ranked airline in the annual AQR study for 2006 and 2008, and was not included in the report for 2007.

Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and CEO, commented, "As in prior years, credit for this achievement goes to our tireless employees, who consistently deliver the superior quality of customer service that sets Hawaiian Airlines apart."

Eighteen of the nation's leading carriers were ranked in the airline industry's most comprehensive annual study of performance and service quality conducted by Dr. Brent D. Bowen of Purdue University and Dr. Dean E. Headley of Wichita State University, and reported online at www.aqr.aero.

Each carrier was evaluated based on a mathematical formula using a weighted average of multiple elements in four major areas important to consumers when judging the quality of airline services: on-time performance, mishandled baggage, involuntary denied boardings, and customer complaints.

Hawaiian's AQR score for 2009 was -0.40 compared to the industry average of -1.27. The 2009 AQR study reported that Hawaiian ranked as the nation's top airline for on-time performance at 92.1 percent, which was also the best score of any airline for the past two years. Hawaiian ranked second nationally for mishandled baggage reports at 1.90 per 1,000 passengers and for denied boarding performance at 0.03 per 10,000 passengers, and the company's customer complaint rate of 0.74 per 100,000 passengers was better than the industry average.

Hawaiian is the nation's largest provider of air service to Hawaii from the Western U.S. and the leading carrier for interisland service between the islands of Hawaii.

About Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian is the nation's highest-ranked carrier for service quality and performance in 2009 in the 20th annual Airline Quality Rating study, having earned that distinction in three of the past four years. Hawaiian has also led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past six years (2004-2009) and has been an industry leader in fewest misplaced bags during that same period (#1 from 2005-2007, #2 in 2008 and 2009) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the top domestic airline serving Hawaii.

Now in its 81st year of continuous service for Hawaii, Hawaiian is the state's biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service to Hawaii from the state's primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities (10) than any other airline, as well as service to the Philippines, Australia, American Samoa, and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides more than 150 daily jet flights between the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com.

SOURCE Hawaiian Airlines