Satmetrix Systems has named Southwest Airlines the winner of the Satmetrix Best Customer Satisfaction Award for the transportation industry.
An independent opt-in survey of more than 13,000 businesses and consumers conducted in late September identified the Dallas-based, low-cost carrier as the best in its class in the airline sector of the transportation industry. Southwest Airlines received a Customer Loyalty Index (CLI) score of 8.63 (out of a possible 10) compared with the overall airline segment score of 7.79. Consistently high customer satisfaction scores have helped fuel Southwest Airline`s strength amid some of the most difficult times ever for all airline carriers, and is one reason for the company`s continued profitability and high price-to-earnings ratio relative to the entire airline industry.

To win the Satmetrix Best Customer Satisfaction Award, a company must meet certain criteria; such as generate a top score higher than eight out of ten on the CLI Index and a score significantly higher than the next competitor. Southwest`s Number One ranking was not affected by the events of Sept. 11, as results of a similar survey conducted in June of this year likewise showed Southwest on top with a CLI score of 8.57 compared with the overall transportation industry average of 8.13.

Since November of 2000, Satmetrix Systems has been conducting a rolling opt-in study contacting between 140,000 to 325,000 potential respondents each quarter. Respondents are given a choice of seven industries whose products and services they are likely to buy or use in both business and personal life, and asked to identify and rate companies with whom they had interacted. In addition to the transportation category, other industries in the survey included financial services, insurance, communications, healthcare, high technology, and the Internet.

www.satmetrix.com

www.southwest.com

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