United Airlines Customer Survey Reveals Passengers’ Favorite Plane

Questionnaires e-mailed to United Airlines passengers yield some surprising results about flyers’ preferred aircraft.

After a flight, United Airlines e-mails nearly every passenger a questionnaire about their experience on the airline. Nearly 8,000 passengers respond to the United Airlines survey each day. TheStreet reports that the results of those surveys give us some interesting insights into the planes passengers most enjoy flying to their destinations.

It is no surprise that the airline’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliners rank as United passengers’ favorite aircraft. United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek has touted the Dreamliner as “revolutionary” and lauded the plane’s “flyer-friendly features.”

More surprising is customers’ enthusiasm for the airline’s older and less advanced Boeing 767 aircraft. Customers ranked the legacy carrier’s refurbished 767s as their second favorite plane to fly.

The United Airlines customer survey doesn’t specifically ask respondents to rate the aircraft; instead, passengers’ plane preferences are culled from a series of questions about their overall experience on the flight.

Customers surveyed after flights on the planes, who have been pleased with the experience on Dreamliners and 767 aircraft, even tend to rate the food and customer service on board more favorably.

It comes as little surprise to United Airlines leadership that the Boeing 767 planes rate high among flyers’ favorites.

“The 767 is a great airplane,” United Airlines spokesman Krolick told TheStreet. “Every customer amenity is available on these airplanes. We have installed WiFi, seatback audio-visual on demand, power at the seats and larger overhead bins, and business class has lie-flat seats that are wider than they were previously.”

“You put all those things together and you basically have a brand new aircraft,” Krolick added.

[Photo: United Airlines]