Airlines make dubious list: among most hated
When Atlantic Magazine published its 19 “most hated companies in America,” there was no surprise that banks made the list. Ditto telephone service providers. But perhaps predictably, four airlines also were low-flying.
They were American, United and US Airways. But Delta was the worst.
Delta was heavily criticized for bombarding people with additional fees for food, baggage and drinks on board.
Those fees allowed Delta to make US$952 million in fees alone.
American fared the best with a satisfaction rating of 63 out of 100. Common complaints included fees and service cutbacks but its rating remained the same as last year.
The survey had this to say about US Airways:
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“Common complaints include low ratings for cabin-crew service, baggage fees and baggage handling, a lack of entertainment options and poor communication regarding delays. The company is currently censured by the Department of Transportation for its lack of communication with travelers. In June 2011, the airline carrier paid $45,000 in fines for failing to include the law-required applicable taxes and fees on the same page as a print advertisement on airfare.” In the case of Delta: “Complaints include additional costs for food, beverages and baggage fees. The airline collected more than $952 million in baggage fees from flyers in 2010, almost twice as much as any other airline carrier. Since acquiring Northwest airlines in 2008, Delta’s consumer satisfaction score has plunged.” All the companies had one thing in common “These are not terribly competitive industries, as the switching barriers for most of them are quite high,” said David VanAmburg of the American Customer Satisfaction Index in an interview with The Atlantic. “In other industries, like the food or clothing sector, the competition is huge. They bend over backwards to make customers happy, because they have to.” The Atlantic formulated the list on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which rates companies based on thousands of surveys. By David Wilkening
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