Flying high in this year’s rankings were Alaska Airlines, who ranked the highest among traditional carriers for the ninth consecutive year, and JetBlue Airways, which topped the low-priced carrier category for the eleventh straight year.
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The research was pulled from an online survey of more than 10,000 passengers who flew on major North American airlines between March 2015 and March 2016.
The study measured customer satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale that comprised cost and fees, in-flight services, boarding/deplaning/baggage, flight crew, aircraft, check-in and reservation.
Alaska Airlines (751 points) ranks the highest in the traditional carrier segment for the ninth year in a row, while JetBlue (790 points) ranks highest among low-priced carriers for an eleventh consecutive year, despite an 11-point decrease on 2015.
Customer Satisfaction Reaches 10-Year High: Overall satisfaction with the airline industry increases by a significant 9 points to 726, the highest score since the implementation of the current methodology in 2006.
In-flight services remained the lowest-scoring factor, although those marks have improved. For the 11th consecutive year, it ranked highest in the low-priced category.
The airlines are reaping what they have sown in terms of investments in the passenger experience, on-time performance, and better baggage handling, the company said.
Among the four discount carriers assessed, JetBlue Airways had the highest ranking for the 11th straight year.
Business Travelers More Satisfied Than Leisure Travelers: For the first time in the study’s history, satisfaction among business travelers exceeds that among leisure travelers by 8 points (733 vs. 725, respectively). It performed well in all seven factors, the study said.
The low-priced carriers were JetBlue, Southwest, WestJet and Frontier. The average for the sector was 775.
According to the ACSI report, New York-based JetBlue Airways and Dallas-based Southwest Airlines both claimed the top spot with a rating of 80.
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It’s a little hard to believe, but despite fee increases, shrinking seat sizes, and bad flight delays, the global market research company found that North American passengers are increasingly happy with their flying experience.
