And Survey Says ... JetBlue is America's Favorite Airline
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They beat us up with fees, raise fares until ticket prices are out of sight, and squeeze us into seats that force pretzel-like contortions. Nonetheless, we’re more satisfied with America’s airlines than we have been since 2006, according to a study released today.
Research company J.D. Power & Associates asked more than 11,000 passengers who flew during the past year to rate North American airlines on costs and fees, flight crew, in-flight services, aircraft, boarding/deplaning/baggage, check-in and reservations.
The survey found that passenger satisfaction with airlines is at a high of 712 (on a 1,000 point scale), a 17-point increase from 2013.
But our overall satisfaction doesn’t mean that we like all airlines equally. Topping our list of favorites are: JetBlue Airways (789), Southwest Airlines (778), Alaska Airlines (737), Delta Air Lines (693) and American Airlines (684).
Bottoming out are three airlines we dislike most: U.S. Airways (656), United Airlines (658) and Frontier Airlines (676).
“It isn’t that passengers are satisfied with fees,” said company spokesperson Rick Garlick, “Passengers are over the sticker shock of being charged more to fly, having to pay for checked bags, expedited security clearance, or for preferred seating. They realize that fees have become a way of life with air travel.”
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He admits, however, that, “People hate the airline experience. That’s a given.”
Among the things we dislike most are seat discomfort and grouchy staff members. Surprisingly, passengers seem to be grousing less about the fees attached to checked baggage; the survey showed that 44 percent of passengers now feel checked baggage fees are reasonable, up from 37 percent in 2013. Overall satisfaction among passengers who feel these fees are reasonable is 771, compared with 633 among those who feel they are unreasonable.
The survey indicated that some airlines find a way to make the air travel experience more pleasant. That’s why Jet Blue and Southwest, both considered low-cost airlines, have grabbed the top spot on the Most Liked list for the past several years.
“The Top 5 create a differentiating experience,” he said. “For example, Jet Blue provides a differentiating in-flight entertainment system. Southwest’s experience is quite different than others in that they target leisure customers. Delta and American are still finding their way a bit but actively working to fill customer needs.”
Garlick noted that airlines also are easing the price pain by adding value in such other areas as easier check-in processes and additional in-flight services, such as Wi-Fi.
(Photo: Thinkstock)
Despite improvements, airline satisfaction continues to significantly trail hotels and rental cars as well as many other industries, including credit card and mortgage lenders.
“No doubt the airline industry is doing a better job of pleasing passengers, but there still is a lot of room for improvement,” said Garlick. “Satisfaction in improving, but it’s a stretch to say passengers are truly happy.”
Rosemary McClure is a Los Angeles-based writer whose credits include two Lowell Thomas Travel Writer of the Year awards. She is a former editor and writer for the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune Syndicate, and Washington Post-LA Times Syndicate.
