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JD Power Ranks AA 9th for Economy Passengers

JD Power Ranks AA 9th for Economy Passengers

Old May 11, 2022, 6:30 pm
  #16  
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Programs: AAdvantage
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Coach on any US domestic airline sucks. The only "exception" I see is maybe Southwest and if you're in a MCE type seat. It's liking surveys on lousy public transportation.
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Old May 11, 2022, 7:00 pm
  #17  
 
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I totally agree. The entire experience recently flying American and especially the price of a recent flight is beyond belief. hears hoping that this is not the way it will be forever.
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Old May 11, 2022, 10:07 pm
  #18  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
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Jetblue has some all economy flights that are pretty nice. Southwest is all economy as well. Outside of those its all the same
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Old May 11, 2022, 10:56 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by ty97
I presume they are counting the 'Even More Space' extra legroom seats as PE. (Probably counting MCE as PE too)
But AA also actually has premium economy. So which one are they counting for an airline that has both "E+" and true PE?
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Old May 12, 2022, 5:25 am
  #20  
 
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Here at American Airlines, we aren't happy until YOU aren't happy.
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Old May 12, 2022, 8:24 am
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by taxatty56
Among others, AA ranked below Allegiant and Spirit in US airplane passenger satisfaction --ouch. AA also ranked only 4th in PE and 6th in Business--not a good showing. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/j...lts/index.html
Well, most of the public has no status. If you fly on AA without status, you not only get the bad on time performance, slow baggage claim, and often salty FAs that we all deal with, but you have high fees for checked bags, can't find seats on a plane that aren't upcharged unless you book way in advance (so many ridiculous 'green seats' and starred seats!), board in group 8 or 9 after all the overhead bin space is used up by group 5, get your bags even later (by design, if the place actually prioritizes the priority bags), have tight seating space in the back of the maxed-737, deal with often very tight gate seating at a lot of airports (is it just me, or does AA not like to choose gates with very little seating ?-- i.e. the AA gates at MSP, SEA, some of MIA) and, I have seen many times customers get yelled and directed to kiosk check-in who would rather wait in a line to have an agent check them in.

I think flying AA, with status, is decent enough. MCE, priority boarding and baggage ensures a level of comfort, but I can't see any advantage for someone without status choosing AA over a LCC or Southwest.
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Old May 12, 2022, 8:28 am
  #22  
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Do you think AA cares about this survey? If it was good news it would be placarded all over their fuselages but because it's really bad they'll just look away.
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Old May 12, 2022, 9:46 am
  #23  
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
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I took my first flight on DL since before COVID in Y last night, and now totally understand the reasons behind these rankings. The fare was $400 cheaper with the penalty of having to connect to get from Chicago to PBI. I'll preface by saying I'm PPRO on AA and a lowly member on DL. However, I can safely say that the experience on DL is better even without status. On the ground, I felt the SkyClub was just as nice as any AC, with ORD not being a hub for DL, so I was quite impressed. Service was also much better with attentive agents who proactively updated us about our slightly delayed flight and repeatedly checked to see if we need anything, even offering to get us silverware (well, plasticware); a far cry from AA's lounge staff who could often not care less. If this was an international ticket, the FL would no doubt be a better experience, although we went more two years without the FL in ORD so...

I was on the A-320, and I can say the hard product blows AA out of the water as well, despite the fact that I was in a middle economy seat compared to always getting an aisle MCE on AA since I get them a booking. I know some here don't care about screens, but as someone who loves to watch the flight map and listen to a podcast, the screens are a huge upgrade for me. DL also offers free wifi for T-Mobile customers, but even if you have to pay, an entire flight pass for ORD-ATL was a reasonable $6, where I've seen them for $28 on comparable AA routes. The cabin was also swankier than AA's narrow bodies (even the NEO), and DL sells a proper BoB (didn't apply to my flight but I saw it in the app) with actual snack boxes for the same price AA charges for a small can of Pringles. As strange as it sounds, even the pretzels were better tasting. I also like how DL handled our delay. As soon as the inbound took off, they updated our departure time to an actual reasonable departure time, which allowed us to make changes in the app from early on, compared to AA which usually doesn't update the departure time until the inbound lands, even when it will be obviously late.
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Old May 12, 2022, 11:23 am
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by ORDflyer92
I took my first flight on DL since before COVID in Y last night, and now totally understand the reasons behind these rankings. The fare was $400 cheaper with the penalty of having to connect to get from Chicago to PBI. I'll preface by saying I'm PPRO on AA and a lowly member on DL. However, I can safely say that the experience on DL is better even without status. On the ground, I felt the SkyClub was just as nice as any AC, with ORD not being a hub for DL, so I was quite impressed. Service was also much better with attentive agents who proactively updated us about our slightly delayed flight and repeatedly checked to see if we need anything, even offering to get us silverware (well, plasticware); a far cry from AA's lounge staff who could often not care less. If this was an international ticket, the FL would no doubt be a better experience, although we went more two years without the FL in ORD so...

I was on the A-320, and I can say the hard product blows AA out of the water as well, despite the fact that I was in a middle economy seat compared to always getting an aisle MCE on AA since I get them a booking. I know some here don't care about screens, but as someone who loves to watch the flight map and listen to a podcast, the screens are a huge upgrade for me. DL also offers free wifi for T-Mobile customers, but even if you have to pay, an entire flight pass for ORD-ATL was a reasonable $6, where I've seen them for $28 on comparable AA routes. The cabin was also swankier than AA's narrow bodies (even the NEO), and DL sells a proper BoB (didn't apply to my flight but I saw it in the app) with actual snack boxes for the same price AA charges for a small can of Pringles. As strange as it sounds, even the pretzels were better tasting. I also like how DL handled our delay. As soon as the inbound took off, they updated our departure time to an actual reasonable departure time, which allowed us to make changes in the app from early on, compared to AA which usually doesn't update the departure time until the inbound lands, even when it will be obviously late.
I can't speak of the DL elite experience.
But as DL non-elite, I agree with you (and I do have a tablet and smartphone but I also prefer the in-seat screen)
I would add that DL website/app experience is superior to AA's.
On JD power survey, I'd give higher scores to DL.
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Old May 12, 2022, 3:52 pm
  #25  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 511
Originally Posted by ORDflyer92
I took my first flight on DL since before COVID in Y last night, and now totally understand the reasons behind these rankings. The fare was $400 cheaper with the penalty of having to connect to get from Chicago to PBI. I'll preface by saying I'm PPRO on AA and a lowly member on DL. However, I can safely say that the experience on DL is better even without status. On the ground, I felt the SkyClub was just as nice as any AC, with ORD not being a hub for DL, so I was quite impressed. Service was also much better with attentive agents who proactively updated us about our slightly delayed flight and repeatedly checked to see if we need anything, even offering to get us silverware (well, plasticware); a far cry from AA's lounge staff who could often not care less. If this was an international ticket, the FL would no doubt be a better experience, although we went more two years without the FL in ORD so...

I was on the A-320, and I can say the hard product blows AA out of the water as well, despite the fact that I was in a middle economy seat compared to always getting an aisle MCE on AA since I get them a booking. I know some here don't care about screens, but as someone who loves to watch the flight map and listen to a podcast, the screens are a huge upgrade for me. DL also offers free wifi for T-Mobile customers, but even if you have to pay, an entire flight pass for ORD-ATL was a reasonable $6, where I've seen them for $28 on comparable AA routes. The cabin was also swankier than AA's narrow bodies (even the NEO), and DL sells a proper BoB (didn't apply to my flight but I saw it in the app) with actual snack boxes for the same price AA charges for a small can of Pringles. As strange as it sounds, even the pretzels were better tasting. I also like how DL handled our delay. As soon as the inbound took off, they updated our departure time to an actual reasonable departure time, which allowed us to make changes in the app from early on, compared to AA which usually doesn't update the departure time until the inbound lands, even when it will be obviously late.
You did a bit of a hit job on AA. I think the Flagship Lounge at JFK is great. The staff has usually been attentive. DL recently stated that they have to limit access to the SkyClub due to overcrowding. Never felt that way at JFK. I fly the JFK-SNA transcon a lot. The wifi is $25. If you have an AA Business card, the cost drops to $20. The wifi is light years better than you find on WN. I agree DL sets the standard in US aviation, but the flying experience on AA is still pretty good compared to LCC, ULCC, and UL.
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Old May 14, 2022, 2:14 pm
  #26  
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
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Originally Posted by bgasser
You did a bit of a hit job on AA. I think the Flagship Lounge at JFK is great. The staff has usually been attentive. DL recently stated that they have to limit access to the SkyClub due to overcrowding. Never felt that way at JFK. I fly the JFK-SNA transcon a lot. The wifi is $25. If you have an AA Business card, the cost drops to $20. The wifi is light years better than you find on WN. I agree DL sets the standard in US aviation, but the flying experience on AA is still pretty good compared to LCC, ULCC, and UL.
I don't think it's a hit job, or that anything you said conflicts with my observations. Yes, the FL is great, but there are three total domestic routes where you get to use it. Since the JD Power survey is focused on North American airlines, I think it's fair to assume this is about domestic flights only (because I agree, AA has better international service, especially on the ground with the Flagship Lounge, if you're lucky to be based at an airport with one). In terms of Economy, I think DL, B6, and UA are all substantially better than AA based on my recent flights, while NK and F9 are inferior but the fares reflect that. I am a WN hater so I have no arguments there, but I think AA safely ranks in the bottom third when it comes to the Y seat. I will also add that for leisure travelers, WN's route map is quite advantageous compared to hub and spoke models. Consumers are generally much happier when they don't have to connect, and WN offers many direct routes. I remember having a colleague who was a WN loyalist and envying him quite a bit when we lived in AUS and he flew direct to places like STL, and I'd get stuck with IRROPS in DFW, IAH, or ORD on AA or UA, even despite my personal horrible experiences with WN.
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