The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), UA scores 60 pts
Apr 20, 2015, 7:26 am
#1
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The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), UA scores 60 pts
The airline industry average score is 71:
Airlines
JetBlue 81
Southwest 78
Alaska 75
Delta 71
American 66
Allegiant 65
United 60
Frontier 58
Spirit 54
UA is equal distance from Spirit and American. Cannot point out that UA is closer to AA.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...port/25937045/
Airlines
JetBlue 81
Southwest 78
Alaska 75
Delta 71
American 66
Allegiant 65
United 60
Frontier 58
Spirit 54
UA is equal distance from Spirit and American. Cannot point out that UA is closer to AA.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...port/25937045/
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 20, 2015 at 11:36 am Reason: Discuss the issues, not the posters.
Apr 20, 2015, 7:33 am
#2
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In fact, nothing at all can be gleaned from this "data" since we don't know the methodology or scale.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 20, 2015 at 11:36 am Reason: quote updated to reflect Mod edit
Apr 20, 2015, 9:10 am
#3
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We discussed this same survey last year:
United Is Again Ranked the Worst Airline in the U.S.
From that thread:
Not sure how reliable "airfarewatchdog.com" is when it comes to airline surveys. Nothing in that article, either, about methodology.
United Is Again Ranked the Worst Airline in the U.S.
From that thread:
According to an annual survey of airlines in the United States, United Airlines is the worst carrier for the third year in a row. The rankings, which were compiled by airfarewatchdog.com, were based on reports from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and data released by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The rankings took into account the number of canceled flights, on-time arrivals, denied boardings and customer satisfaction of each carrier. Delta Air Lines took first place.
Apr 20, 2015, 9:56 am
#6
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It has been posted anonymously that UAL is getting about a 20 NPS score, and that the "goal" is a 32! Those in the know have not denied these figures, and they line up with what you would expect to see from DOT data and a company that gets the bad press/bad rankings UAL now gets.
This all said, no business (even a "savvy" one
) Will long keep its valuable customers, let alone attract new ones, with metrics like this. We have seen the PRASM/yields now fall/lag, and at best (for a quarter here and there due to sharp capacity cuts) keep pace with OALs.
IMHO United is a day late and a dollar short, but it does appear with things like pulling CO 757s to continental Europe, slight upgrades in food, free wine/beer internationally,finally getting serious about trying to add WiFi (and finally power to the 747s, still waiting on the "slimmed" a320/319s) that someone has woken up to the fact that United is bleeding traffic from those willing/able to pay more to fly.
This said, 2014 was a year of standing still, for UA. Here are the 2014 figures: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...lines/8144891/
This all said, no business (even a "savvy" one
) Will long keep its valuable customers, let alone attract new ones, with metrics like this. We have seen the PRASM/yields now fall/lag, and at best (for a quarter here and there due to sharp capacity cuts) keep pace with OALs.IMHO United is a day late and a dollar short, but it does appear with things like pulling CO 757s to continental Europe, slight upgrades in food, free wine/beer internationally,finally getting serious about trying to add WiFi (and finally power to the 747s, still waiting on the "slimmed" a320/319s) that someone has woken up to the fact that United is bleeding traffic from those willing/able to pay more to fly.
This said, 2014 was a year of standing still, for UA. Here are the 2014 figures: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...lines/8144891/
Apr 20, 2015, 9:57 am
#7
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But they sure like winning awards. Remember this press release from just over a year ago?
http://newsroom.unitedcontinentalhol...ndustry-Honors
For the 10th consecutive year, readers of Global Traveler named MileagePlus the "Best Frequent-Flyer Program." United received a "Hall of Fame" honor for its decade of wins in this category of the "GT Tested Reader Survey" awards. Other categories United won:
"Best Frequent-Flyer Bonus Program"
"Best Credit Card" and "Best Credit Card Rewards Program," for the United MileagePlus Club Card from Chase
"Best Frequent-Flyer Affinity Credit Card Redemptions," for the United MileagePlus Explorer Card from Chase
Readers of Business Traveler also named MileagePlus the "Best Frequent-Flyer Program" and ranked United the "Best Airline for North American Travel."
Premier Traveler readers selected MileagePlus as the "Best Domestic Frequent-Flyer Program" and chose United for "Best 787 Layout." Last year, MileagePlus won the magazine's award for "Best Frequent-Flyer Program."
Air Transport World magazine named United its "Gold Eco-Airline of the Year" winner, in recognition of the airline's commitment to environmental responsibility through its Eco-Skies program.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance's 2013 "Best of Everything" list names MileagePlus the best domestic airline loyalty program.
The USA Today-sponsored "10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards" ranked United among the top airlines for best economy-class flight experience.
For the ninth consecutive year, United won the category of "Best American Airline serving China" in the 2013 Business Traveller China Awards.
This is the 13th consecutive year United has won for "Best North American Airline" in the annual awards presented by Business Traveller's Asia-Pacific edition.
For the seventh consecutive year, United was named "Best International Airline" at the Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards 2013.
"Best Frequent-Flyer Bonus Program"
"Best Credit Card" and "Best Credit Card Rewards Program," for the United MileagePlus Club Card from Chase
"Best Frequent-Flyer Affinity Credit Card Redemptions," for the United MileagePlus Explorer Card from Chase
Readers of Business Traveler also named MileagePlus the "Best Frequent-Flyer Program" and ranked United the "Best Airline for North American Travel."
Premier Traveler readers selected MileagePlus as the "Best Domestic Frequent-Flyer Program" and chose United for "Best 787 Layout." Last year, MileagePlus won the magazine's award for "Best Frequent-Flyer Program."
Air Transport World magazine named United its "Gold Eco-Airline of the Year" winner, in recognition of the airline's commitment to environmental responsibility through its Eco-Skies program.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance's 2013 "Best of Everything" list names MileagePlus the best domestic airline loyalty program.
The USA Today-sponsored "10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards" ranked United among the top airlines for best economy-class flight experience.
For the ninth consecutive year, United won the category of "Best American Airline serving China" in the 2013 Business Traveller China Awards.
This is the 13th consecutive year United has won for "Best North American Airline" in the annual awards presented by Business Traveller's Asia-Pacific edition.
For the seventh consecutive year, United was named "Best International Airline" at the Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards 2013.
Apr 20, 2015, 9:59 am
#8
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It has been posted anonymously that UAL is getting about a 20 NPS score, and that the "goal" is a 32! Those in the know have not denied these figures, and they line up with what you would expect to see from DOT data and a company that gets the bad press/bad rankings UAL now gets.
This all said, no business (even a "savvy" one) Will long keep its valuable customers, let alone attract new ones, with metrics like this. We have seen the PRASM/yields now fall/lag, and at best (for a quarter here and there due to sharp capacity cuts) keep pace with OALs.
IMHO United is a day late and a dollar short, but it does appear with things like pulling CO 757s to continental Europe, slight upgrades in food, free wine/beer internationally,finally getting serious about trying to add WiFi (and finally power to the 747s, still waiting on the "slimmed" a320/319s) that someone has woken up to the fact that United is bleeding traffic from those willing/able to pay more to fly.
This said, 2014 was a year of standing still, for UA. Here are the 2014 figures: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...lines/8144891/
This all said, no business (even a "savvy" one
) Will long keep its valuable customers, let alone attract new ones, with metrics like this. We have seen the PRASM/yields now fall/lag, and at best (for a quarter here and there due to sharp capacity cuts) keep pace with OALs.IMHO United is a day late and a dollar short, but it does appear with things like pulling CO 757s to continental Europe, slight upgrades in food, free wine/beer internationally,finally getting serious about trying to add WiFi (and finally power to the 747s, still waiting on the "slimmed" a320/319s) that someone has woken up to the fact that United is bleeding traffic from those willing/able to pay more to fly.
This said, 2014 was a year of standing still, for UA. Here are the 2014 figures: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...lines/8144891/
How reassuring.
Apr 20, 2015, 10:02 am
#9
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
It has been posted anonymously that UAL is getting about a 20 NPS score, and that the "goal" is a 32! Those in the know have not denied these figures, and they line up with what you would expect to see from DOT data and a company that gets the bad press/bad rankings UAL now gets.
This all said, no business (even a "savvy" one) Will long keep its valuable customers, let alone attract new ones, with metrics like this. We have seen the PRASM/yields now fall/lag, and at best (for a quarter here and there due to sharp capacity cuts) keep pace with OALs.
IMHO United is a day late and a dollar short, but it does appear with things like pulling CO 757s to continental Europe, slight upgrades in food, free wine/beer internationally,finally getting serious about trying to add WiFi (and finally power to the 747s, still waiting on the "slimmed" a320/319s) that someone has woken up to the fact that United is bleeding traffic from those willing/able to pay more to fly.
This said, 2014 was a year of standing still, for UA. Here are the 2014 figures: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...lines/8144891/
This all said, no business (even a "savvy" one
) Will long keep its valuable customers, let alone attract new ones, with metrics like this. We have seen the PRASM/yields now fall/lag, and at best (for a quarter here and there due to sharp capacity cuts) keep pace with OALs.IMHO United is a day late and a dollar short, but it does appear with things like pulling CO 757s to continental Europe, slight upgrades in food, free wine/beer internationally,finally getting serious about trying to add WiFi (and finally power to the 747s, still waiting on the "slimmed" a320/319s) that someone has woken up to the fact that United is bleeding traffic from those willing/able to pay more to fly.
This said, 2014 was a year of standing still, for UA. Here are the 2014 figures: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...lines/8144891/
Apr 20, 2015, 10:02 am
#10
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But they sure like winning awards. Remember this press release from just over a year ago?
http://newsroom.unitedcontinentalhol...ndustry-Honors
http://newsroom.unitedcontinentalhol...ndustry-Honors
that list is equally funny. Apparently they find some small english travel group for pay-ola each year!
Apr 20, 2015, 10:05 am
#11
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
United Airlines Rounds Out 2014 with More than Two Dozen Awards
p.s. I see you edited your post. Thanks
Apr 20, 2015, 10:11 am
#12
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Looking at just the airline-related ones from 2014, certainly many UA can be proud of.
http://newsroom.unitedcontinentalhol...o-Dozen-Awards
2014 Airline of the Year – Global Traveler
Best North American Airline for International Travel – Premier Traveler
Best Airline in North America – Irish Travel Industry Awards
Best North American Airline Serving the Middle East – Business Traveller (Middle East)
Best North American Airline – Business Traveller (China)
Best North American Airline – Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)
Best Trans-Atlantic Airline – Scottish Passenger Agents' Association Travel Awards
Best Service Airline Award – Incheon International Airport
Best North American Airline for International Travel – Premier Traveler
Best Airline in North America – Irish Travel Industry Awards
Best North American Airline Serving the Middle East – Business Traveller (Middle East)
Best North American Airline – Business Traveller (China)
Best North American Airline – Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)
Best Trans-Atlantic Airline – Scottish Passenger Agents' Association Travel Awards
Best Service Airline Award – Incheon International Airport
Apr 20, 2015, 10:23 am
#13
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UA has been doing poorly in ACSI since well before Smisek. It has scored above the industry average in just two years of 21.
http://theacsi.org/index.php?option=...212&i=Airlines
If UA scored well, you can bet Smisek would be trumpeting the result.
http://theacsi.org/index.php?option=...212&i=Airlines
If UA scored well, you can bet Smisek would be trumpeting the result.
Apr 20, 2015, 10:26 am
#14
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That will tell us what they found. They published an entire list in a promo report a few years ago, but I can't seem to find the link to it now.The published data points that I know of are US (from the Satmetrix data 2013 survey) had a -8, and SW had a +66. Delta has also reported its score (a +33, up +2) http://www.thestreet.com/story/13016...ranscript.html
United (unlike Delta) has not divulged its internal score, nor its goal, but what has been posted anonymously actually lines up well. The goal that was reported (+32) is just under what Delta actually has, and +20 actually seems high for UAL.
P.S. There are folks at United who know the data, and every once and a while someone posts something anonymously. I don't expect UA to post its NPS scores, unless they were good, or getting better (see DL). We can however see if what is anonymously posted matches what we would expect, and here it does. This is a good corollary to the "is United losing HVFers due to Jeff's 'savvy' plan/do people buy on more than scheduled/price/frequency so that service quality matters" debate we have been having for what three years. Do we have United's internal data, no. But we do have the yield/PRASM figures which allow an educated answer, and we have scattered comments by UA about losing elites/business traffic, and perhaps more importantly we have Doug Parker (who knows who AA got from UA) saying in very public ways that he is not going to make the same mistakes to chase away elite/high margin traffic that Jeff made.
IMHE, all of the signals we have, points to what was "anonymously" posted as being likely accurate then, and if anything perhaps overstating the actual NPS score that United has been getting recently. I certainly don't think that we would be seeing (IMHO late and half hearted) efforts to actually improve product if UA's NPS score was not in the gutter....
Last edited by spin88; Apr 20, 2015 at 10:42 am Reason: adding a P.S.
Apr 20, 2015, 10:35 am
#15
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60 is pretty awful (I believe it was 60 last year.) Before the merger, I believe CO and UA had rankings in the high 60s in this same survey. Delta at 71 sounds about right but JetBlue ranking the highest is beyond me. It never seems like their flights are ever on-time.
Reading the article in USA Today this morning, one commentator said that the merger with Continental has been "bumpier" than AA/US. Mainly because the processes and integration were rushed and poorly planned (which we all know about.) AA/US are taking it slower, hence the rating not being as bad as UA. AA is at 66 which is actually fairly decent for being in the midst of a major merger integration.
To me, the biggest take away is that merging with Continental has not helped the ACSI score at all. Things aren't getting better.
Reading the article in USA Today this morning, one commentator said that the merger with Continental has been "bumpier" than AA/US. Mainly because the processes and integration were rushed and poorly planned (which we all know about.) AA/US are taking it slower, hence the rating not being as bad as UA. AA is at 66 which is actually fairly decent for being in the midst of a major merger integration.
To me, the biggest take away is that merging with Continental has not helped the ACSI score at all. Things aren't getting better.