Never mind fliers behaving badly on planes. Americans are happier than ever with their airlines
Despite all those incidents of passengers (and sometimes crew members) behaving badly on planes, customers are happier than ever with airlines in the U.S. and Canada, according to a J.D. Power study released Wednesday. Overhead bins for carry-on luggage and cheaper fares are what fliers valued most.
The airline they liked the most? Among traditional carriers, Alaska Airlines, which is still in the process of absorbing Virgin America, ranked highest for the 11th year in a row.
The 2018 North America Airline Satisfaction Study indicates passenger satisfaction among North American carriers at a record high, with a score of 762 on a 1,000-point scale, the seventh year in a row the index has improved.
“Passengers perceive greater value in ticket prices, checking in has never been easier, passengers are more satisfied with the actual aircraft, and airlines have improved their baggage-handling performance,” Michael Taylor of J.D. Power said in a statement.
However, fliers aren’t happy with in-flight amenities such as the quality of on-board Wi-Fi connectivity and entertainment options on seatback screens, which scored lowest in the satisfaction study.
Indeed, some carriers are starting to phase out screens — which are expensive and add to the plane’s weight — in favor of letting passengers stream content on their personal devices, a New York Times story said.
In terms of traditional carriers, top-ranked Alaska Airlines received kudos for new and more spacious overhead bins. Delta Air Lines came in second.
Southwest Airlines came in tops among low-cost carriers, with Jet Blue coming in a close second. Allegiant Air and Air Canada showed the most gains in customer satisfaction.
The study is based on 11,508 responses aimed at gauging the satisfaction of business and leisure passengers who flew a major North American carrier between April 2017 and March 2018, according to J.D. Power.
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