Copa Airlines Tops Aviation Week's 2014 List of Top-Performing Airlines

NEW YORK, June 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Panama's Copa Airlines took first place in the 2014 Top-Performing Airlines report according to Penton's Aviation Week (http://www.aviationweek.com), the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries.  The Top-Performing Airlines report is the leading annual rankings and comparative analysis for the global airline industry.  It ranks carriers by financial strength in three size categories determined by annual revenue.

According to the report, Copa Airlines achieved the highest score overall and was first among midsize carriers, edging out Allegiant Air, which was second overall and best of the small-airline category. Copa and Allegiant continue the long-established Top-Performing Airlines trend of well-run niche carriers being heavily represented at the top of the overall rankings. 

While smaller airlines claimed the rankings' overall top spots, many of the largest carriers that have been through the upheaval of restructuring or mergers in recent years showed dramatic improvement. Japan Airlines topped the large carrier category by a wide margin, and Delta Air Lines, Latam Airlines Group, International Airlines Group and American Airlines all achieved double-digit increases compared to the previous year.

The top 10 overall rankings by total score are:

1. Copa Holdings
2. Allegiant Travel Co.
3. Spirit Airlines       
4. Japan Airlines
5. Regional Express Holdings   
6. EasyJet
7. Aegean Airlines 
8. Alaska Air Group 
9. WestJet Airlines
10. Ryanair Holdings    

The annual Top-Performing Airlines study uses a range of data from the last full calendar year to score airlines in four areas – financial health, earnings performance, capital efficiency and business model performance. This yields a total score, which is used to rank the airlines. They are divided into three tiers according to annual revenue size, and the scores are also used to find the top carriers overall.

Tier rankings, overall rankings, and details of the methodology can be found at http://aviationweek.com/awin/TPA.

About Aviation Week
Aviation Week, a division of Penton, is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. The product portfolio includes Aviation Week & Space Technology, AC-U-KWIK, Aircraft Blue Book, Airportdata.com, Air Charter Guide, Air Transport World, AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week Intelligence Network, Business & Commercial Aviation, ShowNews, SpeedNews, Fleet and MRO forecasts, global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tradeshows and aerospace & defense conferences.

About Penton
Penton is a leading professional information services company that engages and informs millions of professionals every day, helping them grow and solve their most critical business challenges. As a provider of critical workflow solutions and insightful content, marketing services and networking, Penton helps businesses do business in five core growth markets: agriculture, transportation, natural products/food, infrastructure, and industrial design/manufacturing.

Penton is a growth company with a track-record of strong performance and success and is backed by its co-owners: MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP.

For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.penton.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Meredith Fortunato
Marketing Manager
Aviation Week
347.392.8822
[email protected]

SOURCE Penton