Southwest flies to the top of Airline Quality Rating When was the last time an airline provided you with outstanding customer service? Okay, we'll lower the bar a little. When was the last time you receive any customer service from an airline? If you're looking for service, the Airline Quality Rating 2000 survey tells you to look to Southwest Airlines. The survey conducted by Dean Headly, of Wichita State University and Brent Bowen, of the University of Nebraska at Omaha looked at the number of customer complaints, overbooked flights, mishandled baggage and late flights on a month-by-month basis for airlines operating in 1999. The two men found that only three airlines - Northwest, Alaska and Southwest- improved their rankings in the last year. Several of last year's top airlines found themselves several spots below on this year's results list. US Airways that earned the #1 slot in 1999 rankings fell to 6 in this year's survey. American that ranked 3rd last year fell to 7th. Their recent "More Room in Coach" campaign may be one step to improve their ranking in the future. The program is costing approximately $70 million and is about 25 percent complete according to an airline spokesman. Among those Airlines who improved their record of service for 1999 were Northwest and Alaska Airlines. Other implementations should make your next trip more enjoyable. The Passenger Bill of Rights was adopted by major carriers last year and could raise the standard of service in the near future. So the next time you are booking your next business trip, you might want to consult the survey results charted below: 2000 Ranking Airline 1999 Rankings 1 Southwest 5 2 Continental 2 3 Delta 4 4 Northwest 9 5 Alaska 8 6 US Airways 1 7 America 3 8 America West 6 9 Trans World 7 10 United 10 Sources: Wichita State University, University of Nebraska at Omaha.