After three years of declines, customer satisfaction with airlines in North America has jumped, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. The study is based on opinions from more than 12,300 passengers who flew on major North American airlines between April 2009 and April 2010.
The study measures overall customer satisfaction in seven areas: cost and fees; flight crew; in-flight services; aircraft; boarding/deplaning/baggage; check-in; and reservations. For the third consecutive year, Alaska Airlines tops the list in the traditional carrier segment, followed by Continental, and American Airlines. United Airlines, which plans to merge with Continental, placed seventh on the list. For a fifth consecutive year, JetBlue Airways ranks highest in the low-cost carrier segment, followed by Southwest Airlines, and WestJet. Among other findings from the study:
- 65 percent of the traditional carriers’ passengers want complimentary meals back
- Nearly half of passengers say that prices for in-flight beverages and food, checked baggage, and preferred seating are unreasonably high
- Customer satisfaction with boarding, deplaning, and baggage averages nearly 60 points higher among passengers who are not charged for the first checked bag.
Note to airline executives: Your customers may seem a bit more satisfied this year, but it’s more likely that they’ve just lowered their expectations. If you really want to get out of the doldrums, look for ways to delight your customers, instead of nickel and diming them to death.
You can start with dumping the annoying, incremental fees for everything a passenger needs to do. If that means a fare increase, your customers will understand. The North American airline industry won’t come out of its tailspin until executives learn that competing solely on price is a losing proposition in the long run. People need a reason to be your customers if you want them to stick with you.
About Michael W. McLaughlin
