Delta and Southwest airlines maintain high altitudes as preferred brands, while UAL Corp., AMR Corp. (American) and Alaska Air Group continue to trail their peers, according to
the latest Corporate Brand Power study of the airline industry conducted by Corporate Branding LLC. Although UAL experienced a slight increase in brand reputation on the heels of
its announced merger with US Airways, the airline still falls low on the reputational totem pole, according to Jim Gregory, CEO of the branding consultancy. Alaska Airlines no
doubt continues to suffer turbulence in the wake of the Flight 261 crash, off the California coast in January.
The airlines most often cited by industry analysts as likely acquirers experienced increases in their Brand Power scores in 1999, while those cited as potential acquirees saw
significant declines, Gregory adds.
"In an environment of consolidation, a powerful corporate brand is even more important. A brand can drive a merger's success or contribute to its failure, depending on how it
is perceived and leveraged."
Industry rankings in the Corporate Brand Power index are compiled via interviews with 400 business decision-makers (VPs and above) over a 10-month period. The survey assigns a
rating to each brand (on a scale of 1-100) based on familiarity and favorability. Here's how the airlines stacked up in the latest index:
|
1999
|
1998
|
| 1. Delta (57.8) | 1. Delta (57.2) |
| 2. Southwest (40.0) | 2. Southwest (45.0) |
| 3. British Airways (37.2) | 3. Continental (40.7) |
| 4. Trans World (35.4) | 4. British Airways (38.8) |
| 5. Continental (31.9) | 5. Northwest (38.1) |
| 6. Northwest (30.7) | 6. Trans World (36.3) |
| 7. US Airways (27.5) | 7. US Airways (30.1) |
| 8. UAL Corp. (25.4) | 8. UAL Corp. (24.3) |
| 9. AMR Corp. (20.3) | 9. AMR Corp. (18.2) |
| 10. Alaska Air (13.9) | 10. Alaska Air (14.2) |
| (Corporate Branding, 203/327-6333) | |