In addition, while the number of e-mails ignored by most transportation companies rose by 23 percent, companies with the highest scores improved their levels of service, according to the survey. The industry showed a slight improvement in responding to e-mails in a timely manner: 61 percent were returned within a day of receipt, up from 5 percent. But the study found that the general helpfulness of those responses dropped slightly.

The survey also found that:

-- Web sites have improved in terms of user-focused features such as FAQs, site searches and site maps. Nearly two-thirds of the companies now have all three.

-- There was little change in the adherence to standards for assisting customers with visual impairments, with just half of the sites making some effort.

-- Forty-three percent of sites now give a full explanation of why cookies are used.