American dead last in customer service - again

United also got sacked in the WSJ's annual review of airline performance. The best-performing carrier last year was Alaska Airlines, with Delta a surprising second (it ranked ninth in 2010). The rankings are based on stuff like long delays, on-time arrivals, canceled flights, mishandled bags, and passengers being bumped from flights. From the Journal story:

Alaska, which launched an operational overhaul in 2007 after several years of dismal reliability, was first among major airlines in on-time arrivals. The carrier has set internal standards: There are 50 different check points on a timeline for each departure, with data collected on each one. Flight attendants have to be on board 45 minutes before scheduled departure; customer-service agents board the first passenger 40 minutes before departure, and 90% of passengers need to be boarded 10 minutes before departure. What time the fuel truck hooks up and what time it disconnects its hose are measured. When flights arrive, the time the belt-loader pulls up to the plane is tracked. The cargo door is supposed to be opened three minutes after arrival; the first bag needs to be dropped on the carousel before 15 minutes after arrival.