United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL), The Hershey Company (HSY), Altria Group Inc (MO): America’s Best and Worst Brands, Airlines Win Again

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) represents an interesting situation, since, while there are are other major carriers Delta competes with, Delta itself was the only one to make the least-respected list. There are multiple interpretations here. One is that Delta is simply the worst major airline overall and that businesspeople (the ones surveyed by CoreBrand) can’t stand the carrier — enough to rank it worse than the tobacco company. Another is that a general disdain for airlines exists and Delta does just enough to push it onto this list. If the former is the case, that’s a problem for Delta, sincebusiness people are top customers for airlines, purchasing more expensive seats and extras while traveling on the company dime. But I see the latter as more likely, since all carriers have inspired their fair share of horror stories and customer outrage.

Even if Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) is a universally poor service airline when compared with its rivals, airlines have an advantage many other companies don’t: Airlines tightly control slots and routes determining when flights are offered, how many seats are available, and any connections made. They also tend to build dominant presences around certain airports. United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL) has a major Chicago O’Hare presence, American Airlines is strong at Dallas/Fort Worth, and US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE:LCC) dominates the Charlotte airport. Delta is no different, with major control in Atlanta, Detroit, and Salt Lake City. In the case of all airlines, customers looking to fly often have limited choices, making them less selective based on the reputation of the airline.

Brand-building
This survey by CoreBrand is just one of many, but it does give us a chance to size up how businesspeople view the brand names of major corporations. While the corporations on these lists aren’t necessarily competing with each other, they are competing for consumers’ dollars. Brand names are essential, but looking at how they compare in context is also essential. For now, I am holding my shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL), will continue to eat The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)’s chocolate, and have no plans to provide any sales to Philip Morris.

The article America’s Best and Worst Brands: Airlines Win Again originally appeared on Fool.com.

Alexander MacLennan owns shares of Delta Air Lines. He is also long $22, $25, and $30 January 2015 Delta calls, $17 January 2015 US Airways calls, and $50 January 2015 BP calls. The Motley Fool recommends Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and PepsiCo and owns shares of Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, and PepsiCo.

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