Survey Says Customer Satisfaction At Lowest Levels In Three Years

Stop us if you've heard this one before. There's another survey to tell you about, that shows passengers are fed up with the shoddy treatment they receive at the hands of commercial airlines.

In its annual survey of overall customer satisfaction with US domestic carriers, J.D. Power & Associates found passengers' opinions of airlines fell to their lowest levels in three years. That's not entirely surprising, given recent fare hikes and added charges for such niceties as checking your luggage.

But don't be too quick to blame the low scores on high prices, the national marketing research firm adds. New Mexico Business Weekly reports travelers pointed most to shoddy customer service, not high fares, when explaining their disgruntlement.

"Across the airline experience, from check-in, to the flight, to deplaning, passengers are being affected by the ramifications of carriers making staff cutbacks and have expressed that performance and attitudes of airline staff are suffering," said Sam Thanawalla, director of the global hospitality and travel practice at J.D. Power.

When it came to judging the best and worst airlines, customers didn't deviate much from last year's rankings. For the third consecutive year, JetBlue ranked highest in the low-cost segment, and for a fourth year earned the title as the highest-rated carrier overall. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines ranked second in the LCC and overall rankings, ceding ground to JetBlue when it came to aircraft interiors and in-flight amenities.

When it came to legacy carriers, Continental Airlines and Alaska Airlines led the rankings, followed by Delta Air Lines and Air Canada. The world's largest airline, American, ranked a dismal fifth... but still beat out US Airways, Northwest Airlines and United Airlines.

Passengers especially took airlines to task for a dramatic dropoff in the so-called "people" factors -- knowledge and helpfulness of reservation and gate agents, check-in staffing, and flight attendants. That decrease in satisfaction was over twice as large as the decline in satisfaction due to price factors, the survey found.

"In this unstable industry environment, it is critical that airlines invest in their employees as a means to enhance the customer experience, as there is a strong connection between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction," said Thanawalla. "Those airlines that focus on keeping their employees informed and motivated will be better able to change negative consumer sentiment and truly differentiate themselves."

The survey also found more people than ever -- 92 percent of travelers -- are booking flights online. More passengers say they want complimentary meals when traveling... except for younger Generation "Y" passengers, who prefer in-flight movies instead. And more passengers are sticking with particular carriers for their rewards programs, which often pay off later with reduced airfares and upgrades.

J.D. Power based the survey on responses from 19,701 passengers who flew on major North American airlines between April 2007 and March 2008.

FMI: www.jdpower.com