J. D. Power weighs in with airline satisfaction: mostly bad news
Thumbs up: JetBlue, Southwest
Thumbs down: most of the rest of the US airline industry
Low-cost JetBlue Airways ranks highest among low-cost carriers for the seventh consecutive year, performing particularly well in two factors: in-flight services and aircraft, says J. D. Power and Associates.
Southwest Airlines follows closely behind, performing particularly well in four factors: cost and fees; boarding/deplaning/baggage; check-in; and reservation.
Alaska Airlines ranks highest in the traditional network carrier segment for a fifth consecutive year, performing particularly well in four of the seven factors: boarding/deplaning/baggage; flight crew; check-in; and reservation. Air Canada follows just 1 index point behind Alaska Delta Air Lines, which moved up two rank positions to third, is the only traditional carrier to improve from 2011, by 9 index points.
Customer satisfaction ratings after two years of improvement generally went down again.
The site had some suggestions for improvement.
"Despite the need for some carriers to charge unpopular fees, they can gain a competitive advantage by focusing their efforts on process efficiency and positive interactions with the staff and crew," said Jessica McGregor, senior manager of the global travel and hospitality practice at J.D. Power and Associates.
She added:
"Carriers that find innovative ways to provide passengers with greater control, save them time, reduce hassles and make the airline experience more enjoyable and comfortable will reap satisfaction benefits."
By David Wilkening
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