Airlines reach new low in public opinion
US customer satisfaction with airlines has dropped to its lowest point since 2001, a new consumer survey shows. And that poll was before new baggage charges were announced.
“Nearly all legacy airlines scored poorly in customer satisfaction during this year’s first quarter,” according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
The index, which measures satisfaction with a company’s product, is computed by the University of Michigan’s business school, after random surveys of thousands of consumers.
“There were too many lost pieces of luggage and too many flights not on time,” said Claes Fornell, a professor of marketing and business administration who founded the index in 1994.
American announced it was adding a $15 fee for the first checked bag, leading observers to warn that travel would be getting worse.
“The new baggage fee is likely to create havoc in airports and jet aisles as travelers try to beat the system by squeezing all their belongings into carried-on bags, further straining overhead bin’s capacity,” said MarketWatch.com.
“Everyone is going to try to beat the system,” said Henry Harteveldt, an airline analyst with Forrester Research.
“When you can check your bags for free on Greyhound, but not on an airline, it’s a sad comment on the state of the whole industry,” he adds.
Airlines are one of 43 industries evaluated by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which is the only national measure of product quality from a consumer’s perspective.
Southwest Airlines is the only one of seven legacy airlines with a high customer-satisfaction scores.
Southwest, which has led in customer satisfaction for 15 years, received a score of 79 on a zero-to-100 scale. A score in the 70s indicates a high degree of customer satisfaction, according to the survey.
The scores of Continental Airlines and US Airways decreased more than other carriers. Continental’s score fell 10.1%, and US Airways’ score dropped 11.5% compared with last year’s first quarter.
US Airways had the lowest score, 54, which indicates a customer-service “disaster,” the survey said.
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