Air Passengers More Satisfied Than Ever, Survey Says
Jennifer Billock May 31, 2018
Full length of young businesswoman using digital tablet at airport lobby
Even with the ever-decreasing seat sizes, often shoddy amenities in-flight, and controversial occurrences, air travel passengers overall are happier with airlines in North America than ever before, a new survey from J.D. Power and Associates says.
For the seventh year in a row, a survey of air travel passengers by J.D. Power and Associates showed an increase in overall satisfaction with North American airlines. The satisfaction scale ranges from zero to 1,000, and this year’s increase of six points brought the ranking to 762.
“Operationally, it’s never been a better time to fly,” said Michael Taylor, the travel practice head at J.D. Power, said in a release reported by The Globe and Mail. “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.”
In Canada, the two largest airlines – Air Canada and WestJet – increased their rankings but are still below average on the whole North American scale. Air Canada ranked at 734, less than the traditional carrier average of 741, and WestJet got 747, well below the low-cost carrier average of 799. Air Canada’s increase, though, was the second largest of traditional airlines, rising by 25 points.
The survey results were gathered between March 2017 and March 2018, a period of time where criticism about airlines was heavy thanks to occurrences like a man being forcefully removed from a plane in Chicago. And even though satisfaction is increasing, passengers are still frustrated about a lot of aspects of flying – like food, drinks, entertainment, and in-flight internet.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
This reminds me of a quote Dr. Becker from the show Becker said... "No Expectations, No Disappointments" It looks like airline CEOs have finally forced this type of thinking onto their customers.
That’s what happens when you teach people to expect nothing...
Was the survey limited to airline CEO's? Anybody that thinks airline passengers are "satisfied" is either insulated from real life in an E-suite somewhere or just hasn't flown lately. Sounds like J.D. Power is just taking a big fee to make sure their customers are told what they want to hear.
That's because passenger expectations are so low. 29-inch seat pitch and slimline seats are the new normal, and not something passengers feel they can affect.
Oh yeah? What about the time when I had to wait >1 hour in my AA flight after landing in LGA, because there weren't any "open gates"?