Air passengers increasingly confident of fair treatment when things go wrong, says CAA
Air passengers are more confident than ever that they will be treated fairly when things go wrong, according to a new report by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Its latest UK Aviation Consumer survey found that although passengers were increasingly dissatisfied with their flight, there were signs that the industry is working to improve how it deals with complaints.
Half of consumers said they felt more confident of being treated fairly when things go wrong, which was up six percentage points from last autumn.
Satisfaction with complaint handling has also reached its highest level, with 64% of those who made a complaint saying they were happy with the process, which is up from 50% last year.
The survey, which is the fifth of its kind over the past two years, found that the percentage of passengers who were satisfied with their overall travel experience during their last flight had dropped from 90% in spring 2016 to 83% in spring 2018. Satisfaction with the onboard service fell from 81% to 77%.
Delays and disruption appear to be one of the main reasons for the fall in satisfaction, with passengers saying they were particularly unhappy with how airports and airlines responded.
The survey also suggests significant regional differences in consumer satisfaction, with passengers in Wales, the East Midlands and the east of England less satisfied than those in the north-east, Scotland and the north-west. While only 76% of passengers in the East Midlands were satisfied, in the north-east the figure was 89%.
CAA director Tim Johnson said: "Although satisfaction remains high at 83%, our last two surveys have shown a reduction from 90%.
"Delays and disruption can be caused by a range of different factors. Some of these are within the control of airlines, and some are not. Whatever the cause, these delays can be frustrating for passengers. We expect airlines to always provide prompt and accurate information and if passengers are entitled to further care and compensation, this should be provided without delay."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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