photo by Frank Kovalchek via Flickr
In what must be a shocker to some airline executives, passengers prefer airlines that provide good service and a pleasant experience as opposed to low costs, according to the J.D. Power 2015 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, released this week.
The study, which drew data from the responses of 11,354 passengers about North American carriers, assigned “satisfaction scores” on a 1,000-point scale in seven categories: cost and fees, reservations, check-in, flight crew, in-flight services, boarding/deplaning/baggage, and aircraft.
Although its key finding is that customers are far more loyal to quality service and reputation (and more likely to recommend the airline to their friends and family) than merely low cost (of which only 29 percent indicated they “definitely will” fly with that airline again), the study reveals plenty of other insights into the airline industry, including:
- Overall satisfaction with North American carriers is actually up, albeit slightly, from 712 in 2014 to 717 this year, the biggest driver being flight improved crews (up 9 points) and in-flight services (up 6).
- Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are the most difficult passengers to please, with overall scores of 714 and 719 respectively. The most positive were Generation Y (born 1977-1994), who scored 727
- People appear to be getting used to paying for checked baggage, with the satisfaction score rising 63 points since 2011, from 637 to 700.
- Membership means happiness, as elite fliers or those enrolled in airline loyalty/rewards program report up to 41 points more satisfaction than non-members.
- Alaska Airlines tops the list of traditional carriers, with a score of 719. Among low-cost airlines, JetBlue led the pack for the 11th year running, at 801 points.
- The bottom of the barrel is reserved for United Airlines (665) among the big airlines and Frontier for low cost (659).