Hawaiian Airlines once again topped the Airline Quality Report's rankings for overall experience.

For the second year in a row, the small airline that is the largest provider of air service to the Hawaiian islands from the western U.S. had the highest overall scores in the industry and improved its results in all four categories from the prior year.

Overall, travelers had a better experience on airlines in 2009, as airlines improved in three of the four categories used to determine the rankings, according to the annual Airline Quality Report.

The industry scored better in 2009 compared with 2008 in on-time performance (79.4 percent overall), mishandled bags (3.88 per 1,000 passengers), and customer complaints (0.97 per 100,000 passengers). The industry scored worse in 2009 on involuntary denied boardings (1.19 per 10,000 passengers). The AQR uses the information the airlines report to the U.S. Department of Transportation in those four categories to determine an overall score for both the industry and the individual airlines.

Fourteen airlines improved on-time performance in 2009, but only six of the 18 rated had on-time percentages higher than 80 percent. Overall, 16 airlines had improved AQR scores in 2009.

Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance, 92.1 percent, in 2009. Atlantic Southeast Airlines had the worst at 71.2 percent.

American Eagle had the highest rate of involuntary denied boardings at 3.76 per 10,000 passengers.

Jet Blue was perfect in that category, scoring no involuntary denied boardings.

AirTran Airways had the best baggage-handling rate at 1.67 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers. Atlantic Southeast scored the worst at 7.87 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.

However, all 18 of the airlines rated improved their baggage-handling scores in 2009.

The only major airline to make a profit last year also had the lowest rate of customer complaints. Southwest Airlines had the lowest rate of customer complaints at 0.21 percent per 100,000 passengers. Delta Air Lines had the highest rate at 1.96 customer complaints per 100,000 passengers.

Here's how the major domestic carriers did overall:

• AirTran Airways' on-time performance declined in 2009 (75.8 percent), but denied fewer boardings. Customer complaints dropped, and its mishandled baggage rate also dropped.
• American Airlines overall score was the highest the airline has seen since 2003, a 27 percent improvement over last year. It had better on-time performance (77.2 percent), fewer mishandled bags, fewer denied boardings, and fewer customer complaints.
• Delta Air Lines had a higher on-time percentage in 2009 (78.6 percent) but more customer complaints. The company had fewer denied boardings, and its mishandled-baggage rate was lower than the industry average.
• Southwest Airlines had an on-time percentage of 83 percent, up from 2008, and the lowest customer-complaint rate in the industry. However, its involuntary denied boarding rate increased in 2009. Its rate of mishandled bags dropped.
• United Airlines on-time rate increased by 10 percent to 81 percent for 2009, and its mishandled-baggage rate dropped. Its denied boarding rate and customer complaint rates also dropped.
• US Airways on-time performance rate was up to 80.9 percent in 2009, and its mishandled-baggage rate dropped. Its customer complaint rate also dropped, but its denied boarding rate was up slightly.

The full report is available here (pdf).